According to the association, it had achieved this level of housing output - investing more than £210m - “despite development coming to a halt in the final weeks as building sites across the UK closed due to the impact of Covid-19”. The total compares to the 1,156 new homes of the previous year, on revenues of £212m.
Aster’s housing total for the year to March 2020 consisted of 955 affordable homes, with 524 for social and affordable rent and 431 for shared ownership. The remaining 112 were built for open market sale.
The business said that most of its development partners had begun a phased reopening of sites, but “it is still too early to forecast how Covid-19 will affect the number of homes the group builds in its current financial year.”
In the year to March, the group contracted 38 new housing schemes, building 112 properties through a joint venture with the former Galliford Try Partnerships, now part of Vistry Homes. It delivered 25 homes via Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and more than 500 homes through its own land-led programme.
Amanda Williams, Group development director, said: “Despite the impact of Covid-19 towards the end of the financial year, our development programme delivered strong results, including our highest ever sales of shared ownership homes.
“We’re yet to see the full impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on construction and how many homes this allows the housing sector to build over the next 12 months. Nevertheless, even as we navigate these challenges, our strategy remains unchanged and our goal is the same – to build more homes every year and provide as many people as possible with safe, secure, affordable, good quality housing.”
