INTERVIEW
Leisure will now join PfP’s mix of housing, schools, surgeries and social care
Places for People – snapshot P
roperty management and development group Places for People (PfP) started life as a housing association in 1965 and is now one of the UK’s largest property
groups. It works in 230 local authorities, owning or managing 82,000 properties. While it still has a housing association in the group, the
organisation now builds and runs large-scale developments in areas of need, involving the regeneration of existing sites and the building of new ones. Developments are usually a mix of commercial and social housing – some offered on affordable rents – alongside other key facilities such as retail, social care, new infrastructure and new schools. With the acquisition of DC Leisure, it will now introduce leisure into its projects. The watchword at PfP is “creating aspirational homes and inspirational places”. The environment is a key focus within
DC Leisure’s non-executive board members – a part-time chair and a representative of the company’s previous owners – with the PfP group chief executive Cowans and group chair Chris Philips. The main change is, and will be,
the significant growth opportunities that come from DC Leisure’s new status as a subsidiary of PfP. Philpott explains: “Because we’re now owned by a not-for-dividend organisation, with no shareholders, it means we will be competing for contracts on a level playing field with the leisure trusts. “Not being able to do that was,
without doubt, a serious handicap to our growth over the last four to
30
this: PfP invests millions into the research and development of low carbon technologies for both its new and existing homes each year, and in 2010 it became one of the few organisations in its sector to be awarded ISO14001. The creation of green spaces for all residents has also been a key priority: last year PfP completed a £15.6m project to turn more than 80 acres of redundant land into 84 new green community spaces. But its achievements extend well beyond bricks and
mortar. The group is a strong proponent of young people, for example, offering a variety of support schemes across some of the 600 neighbourhoods it manages. It has helped thousands of youngsters develop their skills and confidence by accessing training, education and employment opportunities in the past year.
five years – we were operating with a significant tax disadvantage. It meant we were treading water, remaining static in terms of the number of councils we worked with and the number of sites we managed. “With immediate effect we can be
much more proactive, going out and bidding for more contracts.” Indeed, DC Leisure is already expanding its business development department, bringing in the required capacity to cope with the expected new flurry of tenders (see p20). Says Cowans: “We’re very keen to
see DC Leisure thrive and succeed as it bids for contracts, and it now has the strength of the whole group behind it.”
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Health agenda DC Leisure’s other immediate focus is on further developing its healthy living proposition. “We’ve already been delivering this through physical activity, nutrition and so on – our Gugafit programme for kids is a great example,” says Philpott (see briefing, p34). “Now, working with PfP, we can extend that offering into the community – into the places people live. “Today’s focus on healthy living has put
the spotlight on housing conditions as much as on leisure. It’s about creating a whole ‘place’ – from housing to adult social care, leisure and outdoor spaces to childcare – where people can live better, healthier lives.”
May 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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