bpha and The Hill Group announce investment partnership to progress the delivery of new homes
9 December 2024
Leading housing association bpha and award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group are delighted to announce a new investment partnership. The partnership, known as the Progress Investment Partnership, will focus on accelerating the delivery of more than 1,000 new, sustainable homes across bpha’s operating areas including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
The partnership will benefit from bpha’s expertise in providing and managing over 20,000 homes and Hill’s vast experience in placemaking, building high quality homes, and its track record in establishing positive, strategic relationships. Both organisations will share decision-making and invest equally in providing fully affordable and mixed-tenure developments.
Richard Hill, Chief Executive, bpha, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to provide sustainable and efficient homes for local people in this partnership with Hill. In addition to providing much needed homes, the partnership will also focus on creating a sense of place by connecting the community. This will include investing in local engagement, providing training, and creating employment opportunities. The partnership will form a valuable collaboration with our local authority partners including Bedford Borough. We are grateful for the essential part that our consultant Arcadis, and solicitor Devonshire’s, have played in assisting us to select a strong investment partner and secure the partnership.”
Tom Hill, Managing Director, The Hill Group, commented: "We are excited to announce the formation of this investment partnership, creating a credible and efficient vehicle to receive and progress opportunities, including local authority and other land through planning, procurement and development. We know that working in partnership makes us stronger and more agile, allowing us to deliver the homes and places that people desire, and in bpha we have a partner that shares our commitment to sustainable and healthy communities. Together, we are working on a potential programme which would deliver over 1,000 homes and have the flexibility to see that number grow into the future.”
As well as indicating the positive momentum of the partnership, the name Progress Investment Partnership also reflects bpha’s heritage as Bedford Pilgrims Housing Association, linking it with the title of John Bunyan's famous work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, a classic of English literature written by one of Bedford's most celebrated historical figures.
