BUILD Q3 2019

45 Q3 2019 BUILD Nov18923 Creating Sustainable Communities Drawing on more than 25 years’ experience in the market, Rosebery Housing Association provides and maintains good quality affordable homes and services for their clients, as well as participating in wider initiatives which contribute to sustainable communities. Recently, we profiled the firm and caught up with Richard Deeks who provided us with a detailed insight into the innerworkings of the innovative company. E outstanding service to clients which not only surpasses their expectations, but also benefits both parties involved. “Our employees are our greatest asset. We are committed to cre- ating a thriving environment, where talented people want to work – and we nurture those talents. Additionally, we constantly strive to be a high performing organisation, working with people who share this ethos. Our aim is to build a culture of trust for all of our staff and we encourage them to focus on five fundamentals: • Openness • Communication • Decision making • Integrity • Competence “Ours is a performance-based culture and we strive to be a high performing organisation in everything we do.” Bringing the interview to a close, Richard reflects on some of the challenges the firm has had to face since their inception but it shows how such difficulties and uncertainty have helped to strengthen Rosebery Housing Association’s core company values. “Ours is a competitive business and we need to remain ‘rele- vant’ to the market we serve. This means staying abreast of market trends and maintaining our innovative approach to the business. For example, we are currently exploring ‘modular construction’ as a way of delivering good quality homes but reducing our construction timetable, as well as contributing to our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint. This will enable us to continue to provide quality homes to those families and individuals in need – but a lot sooner than tradition - al methods would allow.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, Richard and the team at Rosebery Housing Association hope to continue to deliver their extraordinary services which has seen them accumulate numerous accolades over the years, including their most recent win in the 2018 BUILD Awards where they were deservedly awarded the accolade Most Recommended Housing Associa- tion - UK. Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, the firm looks forward to a bright and exciting future. Company: Rosebery Housing Association Contact Name: Richard Deeks Address: Third Floor, Newplan House, 41 East Street, Epsom, Surrey KT17 1BL Telephone: 01372 814 000 Web Address: www.rosebery.org.uk stablished in 1994, Rosebery Housing Association owns more than 2,300 affordable homes across Surrey and West Sussex, ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom family homes. As a charitable registered provider, the heart of Rosebery Hous- ing Association is to deliver good quality affordable homes and services to their residents. Richard begins by going into further detail about Rosebery Housing Association, the exceptional services they provide to their clients and how they ensure from the start that the best possible outcome is achieved. “Here at Rosebery Housing Association, the focus of our property portfolio is in Epsom and Ewell, where we own most of the affordable housing. We are proud to be a local business that creates sustainable communities by forging strong local partnerships, working closely with residents and creating local employment opportunities. “Our best performance comes from teamwork - our approach to problem solving is based on positive collaboration within the team. As such, our staff dive straight into new projects with en- thusiasm and commitment, taking ownership of tasks delegated to them. Organisation is also vital to project management and we provide employees with the tools to manage tasks effec- tively. Over the past few years, our focus has been primarily on digitally transforming our business and we have taken the digital skills of our staff to the next level. This has ultimately had a positive impact on our company performance.” Speaking of success, the team at Rosebery Housing Asso- ciation consistently punches above its weight with regards to project sizes, as Richard is keen to explain. “Rosebery Housing Association is not a large organisation however, pound for pound, we deliver good quality homes and services and we share a positive approach to all our challeng- es. Our customers are not just numbers to us, we provide a per- sonal service and often go above and beyond what is needed. In this country there is currently an annual shortfall of 145,000 affordable homes. Against a challenging operating environment of cuts to services and limited land availability, and our local au- thority partners coming under increasing financial pressure, we will continue to look creatively at how we work with our partners in order to provide much needed accommodation. Enabling the firm to deliver such exceptional services, is the creative, passionate and talented team which forms the back- bone of Rosebery Housing Association. When discussing the internal culture, Richard highlights how the team provides an