Published February 10th, 2020
Leading Cornish social housing provider, Ocean Housing, has celebrated its 20th birthday at a special event held on 7 February 2020.
Employees, stakeholders, and tenants came together at Ocean Housing’s head office in Stennack House, St Austell, to mark the anniversary.
During the celebrations, 16 members of staff were recognised for long service, having worked with the company since it took over the social housing stock from Restormel Borough Council in 2000.
Established as Restormel Housing Trust (RHT), the company rebranded to Ocean Housing in 2003, and relocated to its current offices. In 2004, The Ocean Group structure was introduced as the parent company of Ocean Housing, and Gilbert & Goode, which joined the group a year later.
Gilbert & Goode was established in 1972, and is now one of the largest construction businesses in the region. It was acquired by Ocean Housing in 2005 to construct the group’s social housing developments, as well as expand the portfolio of traditional building and contracting work. Its profits are gift-aided back into Ocean to invest in social housing.
Since the takeover, the company has seen considerable growth. The number of employees has grown from 149 to 233, and the housing stock has increased from 3,502 to 4,642 properties, many of which have been built by sister company Gilbert & Goode.
Speaking at the event, Mark Gardner, group chief executive, said: “We’ve come a long way over the last 20 years. The transfer of council housing stock to the trust was the biggest ever investment in improving homes in the area. At that time, we made a pledge to improve the quality and standards of housing, and £28.5 million was invested to make social housing a better place to live.”
Over the last 20 years, the company has built 1,406 properties, including more than 1,000 houses, nearly 300 flats, and 36 bungalows.
It has also completed 247,784 day-to-day repairs, installed 4,286 kitchens, 3,473 bathrooms, and 2,063 central heating systems.
Judy Sturtridge lives in St Austell, and has been a tenant since the 1970s, formerly through Restormel Borough Council. She has seen many improvements to her home under the ownership of Ocean Housing.
She said: “I’ve always lived on the same estate. The area used to be quite run down, but Ocean has put in new double glazing and central heating, and replaced kitchens and bathrooms throughout many of the houses here.
“There has been a complete transformation to the area, and I’m proud to call it home. It has been a great place to raise a family, and there’s a real sense of community. Ocean has played an important role in this, being involved with the resident’s association, organising events such as coach trips and Christmas parties for us all to get involved in.
“Everyone at Ocean is so approachable, they’re very easy to deal with. You often see members of the team visiting the area, and if I’ve ever needed something repaired then they are very responsive.”
The company has ambitious plans for the future, aiming to build over 2,000 new homes by 2030. Mark Gardner said: “Since 2000, Ocean Housing has invested more than £240 million within Cornwall, through community involvement, property development, jobs, and apprenticeships.
“Our vision is to be an innovative provider of quality homes and services, with residents and staff at the heart of Ocean, and Ocean at the heart of the community.”
For more information, visit oceanhousing.com.
