Every year, we publish a summary of all our shortlisted entries to showcase our amazing nominees and promote best practice across the sector.

You can read more about the NHMF Awards here.  

Winner: Southern Housing

Shortlisters: WATMOS Community Homes | Platform Housing Group & Voicescape

Achievements

Southern Housing identified important and underestimated work in communities that could produce tangible benefits by placemaking. Cross party working with authorities was important to deliver such works, which included a new approach to co-working with residents on grounds maintenance 'Greener Broomgrove' as a community capacity building project in one of the 1% most deprived wards. It delivered great community impact, with impressive investment in the community spaces and resident involved in its delivery. It is estimated that the good quality green space and trees could save £16m in mental health costs as well as £144K capex from reduced tree and grounds maintenance.

What was the project and what was innovative about the service provided?

Southern Housing - The Greener Broomgrove project represents a bold and innovative new approach to co-working with residents on grounds maintenance. It brings together residents and housing association teams on grounds maintenance, helping provide access to better quality green space. Large areas of ground on its Broomgrove estate (Hastings / Sussex) are now being maintained in a different way to help improve the visual look of the estate, reducing grass cutting, increasing trees, maximising biodiversity, and improving resident experience. 'Greener Broomgrove' is a community capacity building project, developed with local residents, which is improving community perceptions of neighbourhood. It is increasing pride of place and resident wellbeing through community activities which encourage more positive use of the estate’s green spaces. Why it’s needed: - Central Broomgrove green spaces were identified by Sussex Police as persistent crime and Anti-social hotspots, including fly tipping; Residents living on the estate mainly live in flats, so communal green space is typically their only access to outside space for exercise, socialising, and play; Estate is within the 1% most deprived wards nationally (ONS Multiple Deprivation Index data) and has high levels of poor health; new government study identified that access to good quality green space and trees could save an estimated £16m in mental health costs; Mental health charity ‘Mind’ reports that people who spend at least two hours a week in nature experience better health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who do not visit nature at all during an average week.

What were the measurable benefits to the client, the contractor, the resident, and the neighbourhood?

Southern Housing’s project is enhancing green spaces in the neighbourhood - directly involving residents, encouraging greater pride of place, and enabling more positive use of green spaces on the estate. Estate improvements include planting 50-70 new street trees, 20,000m² of wildflower banks and mass bulb planted areas. The project is taking a holistic approach to resident services - including resident wellbeing activity. Wellbeing activity is encouraging residents to have increased time outdoors, physical activity, clubs, connection to nature and community growing. They want residents to be proud of where they live and take care of their surroundings, so they have taken steps to ensure that lead comes from Southern Housing, who started the project with a deep litter pick through the estate, including 20 staff from Estate Services and Social Impact Teams. 70 bags of litter were collected, 2 fly tips cleared and a further 2 reported for clearance. They have continued scheduled weekly litter picks by their estate’s teams, who are experiencing less litter problems and have provided a resident Skip Day for further free clearance of unwanted items. Estates Maintenance Teams have changed their maintenance regime to leave 20,000m² of grass banked areas uncut – these areas are being developed into wildflower and mass bulb planted areas for greater visual interest and environmental gain. Biodiversity improvements are being tracked by Kent Wildlife Trust. They are holding ‘resident green days’ to help get residents actively involved in improving their estate. Their first event was attended by 70 local residents, who assisted Estate’s teams to plant 15,000 mixed bulbs in 3 areas. Residents planted up 30 pots to take home and 40 children were provided with nature story books to take home, after taking part in nature-based crafting activities. The project, once complete will plant 50-70 new street trees, providing a visual boost to the area and provision of up to 34 tonnes of additional above ground biomass - an important part of our contribution towards achieving Carbon Net Zero targets. The first fruit trees are being planted by residents in mid-November. The project is already garnering a better sense of community, with residents and staff coming together to help a resident housebound due to cancer – neighbours and staff cleared rubbish for this resident including broken household items and accumulated rubbish from her garden - helping remove a worry during a difficult time for this resident. With the help of the Greener Broomgrove officer, residents are also starting up a ‘Walk and Talk’ outdoor social/exercise/support club meeting weekly to use green space around the estate.

What were the financial costs and measurable cashable benefits over a defined time period?

Southern Housing has worked with Hastings BC and Pilon, securing £144k of funding to cover the initial capital outlay for estate improvements and covering a Wellbeing Officer to coordinate resident engagement and involvement. This funding covers 100% of project costs until March 2025. Securing external funding has allowed them to make significant changes and benefits for residents without having to pass any additional cost onto resident via service charges. They are ensuring further sustainable value for money by empowering residents to take pride and responsibility for their green space through involvement in planting / improvement works and voluntary community litter picking groups. VFM impacts of changes in green space use and maintenance: - 100/% grant funded / Initial capital costs -for tree planting, wildflowers, and mass bulb planting. Integrated to existing budget / Ongoing Trees maintenance. Estate Management have given tree specification requirements to minimise ongoing costs. New trees planted will be incorporated into ongoing maintenance cycles. Reduced cost - wild grass bank areas by a change to their grounds’ maintenance approach (Estate Services/Sustainability), which leave areas unmown marginally reduces ongoing maintenance costs. Cost neutral – mass bulbs and wildflower additions, form part of the added value/improvement part of this project. As with Trees the initial capital cost if fully funded – no change to ongoing maintenance costs incurred. Will be mown and collected only at end of season once died back/seeded.

How relevant is this as an example that might be followed by other organisations?

Southern Housing believe ‘Greener Broomgrove’ is an exciting alternative grounds maintenance model which showcases involving residents - maximising the benefits of communal green space to prioritise resident wellbeing and the environment. This model could be replicated in suitable locations with open green space owned by Housing Associations, Local Authorities or land owned by the community or other organisations. Initial capital outlay for significant visual and structural improvements has been made possible by securing funding. The funding for this programme was secured through social value commitments made by Pilon and through UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) via the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DULHC). Many similar funds are becoming more widely available - these typically prioritise repurposing green space and environmental improvements. A smaller scale programme could be achieved with limited or lesser degree of funds. Partnerships are key to the current project and its continued legacy beyond 2025. Southern Housing are working closely with Sussex and Kent Wildlife Trusts, Groundworks, Southern Water and Active Hastings to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project is continued. A central feature to the programme is the involvement of residents in decision making and physical change on the estate. This drive for empowerment and increasing community involvement will help sustain the benefits of the project well beyond the initial period. The programme is actively encouraging residents to take ownership and have increased pride in their area - feedback on litter and help plant up the new improved areas as well as providing activity and volunteering opportunities for residents to use the green spaces in a more positive way. These include a neighbourhood litter group, outdoor wellbeing courses, active nature clubs for after school and holiday involvement with children as well as community planting days at key times of the year. As part of the project, they are tracking community wellbeing using the NHS Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Giving. They are using the WEMWBS Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing system to track the impact the project has on residents’ individual wellbeing. They track all of our projects social return on investment using the independent values created via the HACT UK Social Value Bank. This estimates that the project will create a social return on investment of £446,915 (1:3.5), meaning for every £1 invested £3.5 of social value is created. Long term impact will also be demonstrated and sustained through increased Biodiversity. Using our digital mapping systems, they are logging tree assets for carbon impact and local air quality data by their Sustainability teams.