Press releases
Police officers help local retirement living residents fight crime
16 Nov 2017
A police-led crime prevention awareness event organised by Dewsbury police officers has helped residents at Stonewater’s Savile Court retirement living apartments in Queen Street, Ravensthorpe, stay safe.
92-year-old Burma Star veteran makes digital connection
15 Nov 2017
92-year-old Mablethorpe Burma Star veteran, Mervyn Ellicott, is determined to become digitally-savvy after signing up for personalised IT training sessions at Sutton-on-Sea Library and Community Hub. The sessions were organised with social housing provider Stonewater which operates Peter Dyer Court, a retirement living scheme in Seacroft Road where Mervyn lives.
£250m bonds issue as Stonewater ramps up affordable housebuilding programme
06 Nov 2017
Stonewater, one of the UK’s leading social housing providers, ramped up its ambitious affordable housebuilding programme this week (3 November) with a £250 million, 3.375% bonds issue it will retain for future sale to investors.
New ‘she-sheds’ help local women’s refuge residents find sanctuary
26 Oct 2017
Caring staff from wealth management company Old Mutual Wealth in Southampton, have volunteered their time and DIY skills to transform two old storage sheds at South Hampshire Women’s Refuge into ‘she-shed’ garden getaways for residents.
Response to Government announcement that Local Housing Allowance cap plans will not go ahead
25 Oct 2017
We welcome this announcement which follows the concerns expressed by so many in the sector – including ourselves – about the potential consequences of capping housing benefit in the social housing sector at the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for residents, particularly for vulnerable people living in sheltered and supported housing.
New Stonewater homes make Yapton village more affordable for local people
24 Oct 2017
Living in Yapton became a little less expensive for local people struggling to afford housing in the village, with the release of 11 affordable Stonewater homes in Emerald Gardens this week.
North Mundham pupils’ stars reveal ‘ins and outs’ of willow weaving
23 Oct 2017
Youngsters at North Mundham Primary School in School Lane, North Mundham, have been busy learning the ancient rural craft of willow weaving from award-winning willow sculptor, Victoria Westaway.
Melbury Court residents set to benefit from Stonewater homes purchase in Swanage
22 Oct 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has celebrated the purchase of nine two-bedroom social rent apartments from Sovereign Housing Association, at Melbury Court in Cranborne Road, Swanage.
Six reasons to celebrate for affordable home-seekers in Bearwood
18 Oct 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has marked the official opening of a new mini-development of six affordable rental homes in Anjou Close, Bearwood.
Top national award win for inspiring former Poole Foyer resident
17 Oct 2017
Kyle Jenkins, former resident of Quay Foyer in Poole, has won the Inspiration Award for always giving 100% to the young people he mentors, despite complications in his own life.
Justin Tomlinson MP visits affordable housing scheme in Swindon
16 Oct 2017
Justin Tomlinson MP visited a development of Stonewater homes for shared ownership and affordable rent at St. Quentin Close, Swindon, on Friday, 13 October 2017, to see how local housing providers are helping people onto the housing ladder, as well as supporting local people with affordable housing.
Stonewater wins Innovation of the Year for Longleigh Foundation
13 Oct 2017
Social housing provider Stonewater has won a top national innovation award for the creation of Longleigh Foundation, a new independent grant-giving charity which helps the UK’s most vulnerable residents and communities affected by poverty and welfare cuts.
Top national Foyer award for unsung Exeter hero
12 Oct 2017
Alan Sharp has won the Unsung Hero Award for going above and beyond the call of duty in his role as Senior Project Worker at the Exeter Foyer in Commercial Road.
Healthy living is on the menu for Peter Dyer Court residents in Mablethorpe
09 Oct 2017
Leading a healthier lifestyle is on the menu at Peter Dyer Court, a Stonewater sheltered housing scheme for the elderly in Mablethorpe.
Construction begins on 24 affordable village homes in Desford
08 Oct 2017
Construction has begun on 24 affordable village homes at The Paddocks, a brand-new development at Hunts Lane in Desford village, near Leicester. The new affordable homes which are being built for leading social housing provider Stonewater by Bellway Homes, responds to a critical shortage in the area of good quality, low cost housing for local people.
Stonewater gives ‘thumbs-up’ to Government’s new social rent deal
06 Oct 2017
We are delighted that the Government has listened to social housing providers and announced a new rent settlement that sees a return to rent reviews linked to inflation.
Stonewater appoints new IT Director
06 Oct 2017
Stonewater, one of the UK’s leading social housing providers, has appointed Amit Patel as its new Director of IT. Amit will join Stonewater from PA Housing where he was Director of Corporate Services.
Stonewater welcomes PM’s social housing plans
04 Oct 2017
The Prime Minister’s promise today to build hundreds of thousands of truly affordable new homes across a range of tenures is great news for the many people currently struggling to afford decent housing across the country and who are stretched to breaking point to pay their mortgages and rents.
Smart new affordable homes open in Crawley with an ‘imperial’ twist
03 Oct 2017
It was good news this week for Crawley residents struggling to find affordable housing in the town with the completion of Imperial Mews, a brand-new Stonewater development of 48 rental and shared ownership homes in Brighton Road.
Inspiring former Poole Foyer resident shortlisted for top national award
27 Sep 2017
Kyle Jenkins, a former resident of Quay Foyer in Poole, has been shortlisted for the Inspiration Award at the Inaugural Foyer Awards 2017 which recognise the achievements and dedication of Foyer staff across the country.
Pilot heating system set to tackle fuel poverty and halve local residents’ home heating costs
26 Sep 2017
Housing association residents in a development of 49 one- and two-bedroom bungalows in Burton Gardens, Weobley, are set to have their heating bills halved as work begins on the installation of an innovative renewable heating system which draws heat energy stored in the earth.
Unsung Exeter hero shortlisted for national Foyer award
25 Sep 2017
Local man Alan Sharp, who works as a Senior Project Worker at the Exeter Foyer in Commercial Road, has been shortlisted for the Unsung Hero Award at the Inaugural Foyer Awards 2017 which recognise the achievements and dedication of Foyer staff across the country.
New housing development responds to affordable homes shortage in Leicester Forest East
22 Sep 2017
A brand-new development of urgently-needed Stonewater homes for local people struggling to find good quality affordable housing in the Leicester area, was officially opened this week in Leicester Forest East.
New Longleigh Foundation partnership to fund youth social action projects in Dorset
21 Sep 2017
A joint-funding partnership aimed at helping young people in some of Dorset’s most deprived communities make a positive impact in their local neighbourhoods has been announced this week.
Empty office redevelopment set to create 48 affordable homes in Bracknell
20 Sep 2017
A former empty office building and surrounding car park and land opposite Bracknell & Wokingham College in Larges Lane, Edenfield, is set to be demolished and transformed into 48 urgently-needed affordable homes in the town.
Stonewater welcomes Government’s social housing Green Paper plans
19 Sep 2017
"We very much welcome Sajid Javid’s announcement of plans to bring forward a Green Paper on social housing in England.
Stonewater Hereford move set to boost local affordable housing
11 Sep 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has moved its regional offices from Leominster to new premises in Hereford. The move, celebrated with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, is part of the organisation’s office rationalisation programme that will create efficiency savings which can be reinvested into customer services and building more affordable homes across Herefordshire and the surrounding counties.
Stonewater’s response to Local Government Association (LGA) calls for the Government to bring forward its Housing White Paper commitment
01 Sep 2017
"We support the LGA’s calls for the Government to bring forward its Housing White Paper commitment for nationally-set planning fees to be increased, and for the Government to commit to testing a fair and transparent scheme of local fee setting.
Local residents meet their neighbours at Fosse Park Road street party in West Hendford
30 Aug 2017
A street party event this week has given local residents a chance to get to know their new neighbours at Fosse Park Road, Stonewater’s brand-new affordable housing development in West Hendford, Yeovil.
Stonewater appoints new Head of Supported Housing
29 Aug 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has appointed Catherine Evans as its new Head of Supported Housing.
Work begins on 49 affordable homes in Shefford
09 Aug 2017
Construction has started on a new development of 49 Stonewater homes in Shefford to help tackle the shortage of affordable homes in the area.
Stonewater issues £100m from new funding facility to help drive ambitious housing programme
07 Aug 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has signed a $150 million funding facility to help drive its ambitious housing development programme which is set to deliver 2,765 new homes across England by 2021. Stonewater secured the loan facility from Pricoa Capital Group, the principal asset management arm of US financial services group Prudential Financial.
Longleigh Foundation funds housing association’s national digital project to help older residents go online
01 Aug 2017
National grant-giving charity Longleigh Foundation, has awarded a £14,350 grant to fund social housing provider Stonewater’s country-wide programme of digital taster days aimed at helping its retirement living residents go online and maximise the benefits of the internet.
Stonewater named South West Housing Association Landlord of the Year!
17 Jul 2017
Stonewater has been named Regional Housing Association Landlord of the Year at the South West Regional Energy Efficiency & Healthy Homes Awards 2017 for excellence and best practice in delivering energy improvements in a housing project for vulnerable people in Poole, Dorset.
Rural Housing Week sees completion of much-needed affordable village homes in Deddington
15 Jul 2017
Rural Housing Week (3-7 July) was marked in Deddington with the completion of the first six of 30 much-needed Stonewater affordable homes for local people struggling to find housing in the village.
Hong Kong housing delegation visits flagship retirement living scheme in Nottingham
14 Jul 2017
A delegation of housing professionals from Hong Kong was in Nottingham last week (7 July) for a VIP tour of Abbey Lodge, a retirement living scheme for the over 55s in Beeston, owned and operated by social housing provider Stonewater.
North Mundham village scheme highlights the challenges of creating affordable rural housing
11 Jul 2017
To mark the start of the National Housing Federation’s Rural Housing Week (3-7 July), social housing provider Stonewater has given representatives from Chichester District Council, North Mundham Parish Council and other guests, a progress tour of a new development of 25 much-needed affordable homes off School Lane in Stoney Meadow, North Mundham.
Rural housing week sees start of construction on 20 affordable homes for local people in Long Itchington
07 Jul 2017
Social housing provider Stonewater celebrated the National Housing Federation’s Rural Housing Week (3-7 July), with the start of construction on 20 affordable village homes for local people in Long Itchington.
25-year Chilcompton building partnership celebrates 300 affordable homes during Rural Housing Week
05 Jul 2017
The completion of 10 new affordable homes at Parsonage Lane in Chilcompton has marked the start of Rural Housing Week (3-7 July) and a successful 25-year construction partnership between social housing provider Stonewater and village-based builders Winsley White.
Patrick Symington joins Stonewater Board
03 Jul 2017
Former First Wessex Finance, Governance and ICT Director Patrick Symington has joined the Board of social housing provider Stonewater as a new non-executive director and Chair of the Risk and Assurance Committee. He will have responsibility for overseeing and reporting to the Board on risk management and the organisation’s audit function.
Evercreech pupils hold democratic vote to choose local road name
29 Jun 2017
Reception to Year 6 pupils at Evercreech Church of England Primary School in Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet, have taken part in a real-life democratic vote which will affect their local community forever.
Heavy metal stars mark opening of 60 new affordable homes in Reading
28 Jun 2017
Three locally famous faces – immortalised in heavy metal by artist Steve Tomlinson – helped mark the opening of Stonewater’s new development of 60 affordable rental and shared ownership homes in Kenavon Drive in Reading. The faces are part of an art installation at the entrance of Kings Mead, a new 192-home development close to the town centre. The Stonewater scheme is the largest affordable housing scheme to be built in Reading in recent years.
14 much-needed affordable village homes take shape in Stoke-sub-Hamdon
26 Jun 2017
Construction has reached the half-way point on a new development of 14 much-needed affordable village homes in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, near Yeovil.
Stonewater’s reaction to the Election result
09 Jun 2017
It’s a result that creates uncertainty, however, both Labour and Conservative parties share an ambitious commitment to tackling the nation’s affordable housing crisis and we hope they will work together to keep housing at the top of the Government’s agenda. We look forward to working with the new Government at all levels to help shape the detail of housing policy so we can build the decent, affordable homes that are so badly needed.
Nicholas Harris, Chief Executive, Stonewater
Hook Norton shires meet new Stonewater neigh-bours
01 Jun 2017
Shire horses from Hook Norton Brewery met some of their new neigh-bours in Hook Norton village near Chipping Norton, where leading social housing provider Stonewater has recently completed 20 much-needed affordable homes.
Party Manifestos – focus on housing welcomed
18 May 2017
We’re pleased to see an all-party focus on mixed-tenure affordable housing and some ambitious housebuilding targets at a time when 1.2 million people in England are on a waiting list for social housing - and thousands more struggle to make the leap to their first independent home. However, the devil is in the detail and matching ambition with successful delivery will require investment in the right type of housing, in the right place, to meet local needs.
99 affordable homes to benefit local people in Selby
10 May 2017
Leading social housing provider Stonewater has celebrated the start of construction on 99 new affordable homes in Thorpe Willoughby, near Selby. The much-needed properties are being built for local people struggling to find housing in the area.
Work starts on transformation of former Citizen’s Advice site into affordable apartments in Poole
09 May 2017
Work is underway to transform the former site of the Citizen’s Advice office building and some unused scrubland in Lagland Street, Poole, into two smart new developments of affordable apartments.
Unused undercroft parking transformed into affordable apartments in Woolston
05 May 2017
A ribbon-cutting ceremony has celebrated the transformation of a boarded-up ground floor parking area in a 1990s-apartment block in Woolston, Southampton, into much-needed affordable rental homes.
Construction starts on 60 new affordable homes in Fairford
04 May 2017
Construction is under way on 60 new affordable rent and shared ownership homes off London Road on the edge of Fairford, near Lechlade.
