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Two Midlands housing associations have merged to create a new 45,000-home landlord.
Waterloo Housing Group and Fortis Living have combined to create Platform Housing Group, a £230m business with around 1,200 staff.
The two associations have been among the biggest developers in the region in recent years, with the new group planning a development pipeline of 18,000 homes in 10 years.
According to Platform, that pipeline represents 500 more homes than either of the two legacy associations could have built separately.
David Pickering, Waterloo’s chief executive, will lead the new business, with Guy Weston, chief executive of Fortis Living, staying on for six months “to help deliver a smooth transition”.
Fortis Living’s finance director Andy Howarth will take on the same role at Platform.
Mr Pickering said: “The creation of Platform Housing Group is good news for our customers, for our colleagues and for our communities. As a larger, stronger business we will be better equipped to maximise efficiencies and to invest more in building more homes and improving local services.”
Mr Weston added: “The newly shaped group builds on two strong track records of providing quality homes, services and community support. By coming together we can consolidate our resources and use our combined capacity to make a real and positive difference where it is most needed.”