NEIL CLEMENTS - Development Manager, Sanctuary Group

I am pleased to say that as of yesterday the whole SHA programme in Cornwall was under contract and ‘on site’ – I thought that I would e-mail you all to say a sincere thanks for all the effort that has gone in from all of you. It was almost exactly 3 years ago that the CSR was announced (I remember this because I was inFloridareading about it on my laptop!) – although we had an idea that we would be bidding on a joint Kier/SHA package at that stage it is fair to say it was a completely cold start and so I think it is a pretty impressive achievement to have got not only the 200 homes we bid on to start on site (a few months ago) but also to have delivered an additional 201 homes as well, and so thank you everyone for all the effort from Shaun and I yomping round in fields to Angela hassling the crap out of the council officers. I think sometimes it is important to look at the outcome that we are delivering as we all become obsessed with planning conditions, consumer units and retaining walls and deeds of variation and other mind numbing junk and forget what we are actually going. 424 brand new energy efficient homes for local people who, for whatever reason, can’t afford to live on the areas they grew up in – this supports the schools and business in these areas (think St Just) that would otherwise peter out and die amidst a wave of second home owners retiring down here; Over 1600 people will live in these homes, that’s 1500 people taken off of the housing waiting list and out of the uncertainty of the private rented market and out of, often, badly managed properties that are expensive to live in – to be able to securely live in a home managed by a reputable landlord built to a high standard; We have attracted over £5million pounds in central government funding to Cornwall as we as taken up £4.12 million of council funding and produced over £45million pounds worth of construction and consultation work for business based in Devon and Cornwall ( I am counting Kier because most of you live there); More than 50 work placements will have been produced, at least 14 new apprenticeships and more than 16 permanent jobs created; We have unlocked 7 stalled housing sites sat with planning permission but not being delivered. ……and all because we made a decision that we wanted to make a name for ourselves and produce something that put us on the map. 3 years ago SHA was a bit player in Cornwall, we were reluctantly allowed on the CHP and pretty much tolerated, in the 3 years since then we had the biggest bid in the 11/15 round and have delivered it and although we only have the 2nd biggest Council funded programme we have actually delivered ours already, unlike most of the others (no names (DCH!!)), and have been asked to deliver more to make up for under performance elsewhere. So it’s fair to say what has been achieved in the last 3 years has made SHA one of the preferred partners inCornwall and certainly the most successful in the current programme and very well respected for doing what we say we will. So please accept my/Sanctuary’s sincere thanks for all of your help (I have copied in a load of people but I am sure I have not included everyone that deserves it so please pass this on) this goes from Ben, Shaun, Paul and John who were there at the start, to all of the design/site managers and trainees/apprentices and the many consultants who worked at risk to allow this to happen – you are all part of something impressive to be proud of. Thanks again – now we just have to build the things!! By the way following this e-mail normal service will be resumed and I will be back moaning and swearing!!!