The Big Plan 2025 - 2030 | Cornerstone Housing

Our vision for providing safe, stable, affordable homes and thriving communities. In January 2025 we met with residents, colleagues, our Board and sector experts to launch our new 2025-2030 Big Plan. As part of this process, we completed a door knock and spoke to 29% of our tenants.

Read the full strategy.

Download the full report (PDF)

Our Big Plan identifies the following priorities and here is what we’ve done this year:

Listen more to residents

We listened to residents through consultations, surveys and resident groups, receiving over 446 responses that helped shape our services.
Build more homes

We built 42 new homes, providing more people with access to affordable housing.
Help the planet

We created new edible gardens, supported tree planting projects and trained colleagues in carbon literacy to help reduce our environmental impact.
Make neighbourhoods nicer

We brought residents together through community events, created wildlife-friendly spaces such as hedgehog highways, and made homes warmer through energy efficiency improvements.
Be kind and helpful

87.2% of residents said they are treated fairly and with respect, showing our commitment to providing a kind and helpful service.

What we achieved in year one

During Year One, we strengthened resident engagement, increased investment in homes and communities, improved service performance, expanded our development ambitions, enhanced governance and data quality, and laid strong foundations for sustainable future growth.

Strengthening resident voice and our community

Delivered community events to help strengthen community connections in neighbourhoods with higher levels of resident dissatisfaction.
The Resident Engagement Panel elected its first resident Board Member, supported by a resident Board Observer, strengthening the link between resident feedback and Board decision-making.
Held joint resident, Board and Executive Team engagement visits and tours, providing opportunities to hear directly from residents and take action on concerns and complaints.

Building more new homes

Expanded our Year One development programme to deliver 42 new homes by April 2026.
Secured a pipeline of 73 homes for delivery in the following year, supported by renewed borrowing arrangements.
Began exploring new development opportunities, including modern methods of construction, small site developments and partnership opportunities.

Expanding our reach and partnerships

Incorporated our one-hour travel-to-work operating area into development and business decision-making.
Strengthened partnerships with local authorities, community groups, the police, and other organisations to deliver better outcomes for residents.
Supported community safety through increased anti-social behaviour closure orders and improved access to community initiatives and environmental projects.
Partnered with a local college to introduce retrofit qualifications for Property Leaders.

Delivering value for money

Updated procurement and contract management practices to align with the Procurement Act and industry best practice.
Secured social and environmental value from contractors, including support for community garden and tree-planting initiatives.

Improving and investing in homes and neighbourhoods

Invested £4 million in existing Cornerstone homes and carried out responsive repairs and major improvement works.
Upgraded the lift at Norwood House.
Completed 80% of the Barley Mount lintel replacement programme.
Addressed 2 underground voids near Cornerstone properties in partnership with councillors, National Grid and South West Water.

Strengthening governance and capacity

Reviewed our performance against Resident Consumer Standards and identified opportunities to improve transparency, accountability and resident influence.
Expanded organisational capacity through recruitment of new roles, including four multi-skilled operatives, and Community Engagement roles.

Delivering environmental improvements

Provided Carbon Literacy training for leaders and colleagues, improving understanding.
Began a programme to transition our fleet from diesel and petrol vehicles to electric and hybrid alternatives.
Established a community edible garden at Western Way and created new community garden spaces and tree-planting projects in partnership with local residents, bringing their ideas to life.

Improving repairs and housing services

Increased productivity to more than 3 jobs per day through improved performance monitoring and shared accountability.
Worked together with the police and local authorities to resolve community impactful behaviour, creating safer communities and tackling concerns including drug dealing, crime and fire safety risks.

Using better information to improve our homes and services

We improved the information we hold about our homes by carrying out more home condition surveys. This helps us make better decisions about repairs and investment, ensuring homes remain safe, well maintained and fit for the future. By July 2026, 92.7% of properties had an up-to-date survey.
With a clear improvement plan in place, we reduced the number of non-decent homes from 12 to 8.
Supported residents facing challenges such as mental health issues and hoarding, working across teams to help them remain safe and well in their homes.

The Big Plan 2025 – 2030