Harvest and Arena housing groups to merge
HARVEST Housing Group and Arena Housing Group have announced plans to merge, creating a social housing landlord which will manage 32,000 homes across the North West, Staffordshire and Yorkshire.
Manchester-based Harvest and Liverpool-based Arena said the merger had been agreed by their respective boards and that a tenant consultation exercise will take place ahead of a formal merger target date next April.
The groups said that the driver behind the move was “to harness the financial strength” of both organisations. They said that both Harvest and Arena had been successful in receiving 100% of the HCA funding they had applied for in 2011, which would allow them to develop a combined 1,300 homes over the next three years.
Harvest chief executive Ian Perry said: “From the beginning it was clear that Harvest and Arena shared the same values and vision. This is very much a merger of equals, and I am delighted that two excellent organisations are joining together.”
“It will give us the capacity to offer enhanced development and support for neighbourhoods, greater efficiency through shared services and the ability to maintain service levels to customers in what is an uncertain economic climate.”
Arena chief executive, Brian Cronin, who is set to run the new group, said: “This is a really exciting time for everyone at both groups. Through a merger we will have increased capacity and experience for innovation and new projects.
