Housing association builds new home on Greenham Business Park

Planning permission has been granted for Sovereign Housing Association’s new 27,000 sq-foot home on Greenham Business Park.

Business park owner, Greenham Trust has issued tenders for the building work, and expects to appoint a contractor in December to begin work on the exciting project.

Housing association Sovereign had originally set its sights on a different plot on the trading estate, but has upsized its requirements to include space for a hands-on apprentice training facility.

Judith Clark, Sovereign’s senior sponsor for the Workplace project, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Greenham Trust to realise our vision of a new kind of workplace.

“Aligning with our new corporate strategy we envisage a lively hub which offers an agile working space that promotes well-being. This means a different kind of office, with break out areas, quiet zones and opportunities for different teams to mix and mingle.

“We’ll have around 300 permanent office staff on site, as well as 200 tradespeople using Greenham as their main base as they travel around looking after our homes across Berkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. Working in this way will help us to focus on our customers, bringing a combination of expertise together under one roof.

“We’ll also be able to massively extend our training opportunities for everyone, including boosting our focus on Women in Trades and our adult improver apprenticeships. These apprenticeships give applicants - many of whom are also our residents - the opportunity to take up a trades role without traditional qualifications. This centre will mean they can continue to learn in a ‘real-life’ environment.”

Rupert Holtby, the Estates Manager from Greenham Trust, said: “We are delighted that Sovereign Housing Association have chosen to relocate to Greenham Business Park.  It underpins the business park as West Berkshires largest employment site and allows us to work in partnership with Sovereign to develop a first class office for them.”

Judith concluded: “This new hub is just one step in our new workplace strategy. As we change how we work, we’re moving from 22 offices to five major hubs and our corporate HQ, allowing people the flexibility to work from home, an office or elsewhere, as suits them - and our business - best. It’s hoped that this hub in Greenham will be up and running by early Spring 2021.”