Almost twenty years after it was first set up, Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (bpha) is celebrating the completion of its 15,000th home.  

On Monday 14th December, Chief Executive John Cross officially welcomed the new resident, Beata Bogdziewicz to her new home, at Loves Farm in St Neots. The ceremony was also attended by Kier Partnership Homes (one of bpha’s partners) and Carl Jones, Chairperson for Loves Farm Community Association.

As part of the event, guests were taken on a tour of part of the Loves Farm housing development and treated to a celebratory lunch at the nearby St Neots Football Club.

John Cross said: “This is a momentous day for us and is testament to how far we’ve come since 1990. To have reached 15,000 homes, particularly in the midst of a recession, is a fantastic achievement and it’s good to know that we’ve helped so many people over the years to rent and buy properties that they might not otherwise be able to afford.”

Terry Fuller, Regional Director from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) added: “At HCA our priority has been to keep housing schemes going during these recent difficult times when we’ve seen the demand for affordable housing increase substantially. It is sites like Loves Farm, offering new homes and community facilities, and the fact that bpha has been able to carry on building during the recession that is helping us provide new homes and offer relief from the urgent housing needs.”

Work commenced on the Loves Farm development in 2008. Once completed, the development will provide around 400 new affordable homes. bpha is working on a number of new developments, including the prestigious Cambridge Challenge project, and plans to grow to a portfolio of around 20,000 homes by 2015.