VPS Guardians partner with award winning housebuilder, The Hill Group

In July 2023, VPS Guardians partnered with award-winning housebuilder,  The Hill Group, to introduce property Guardians as a ‘meanwhile use’ solution in an ex-care home in Bristol.  The property – once the site of the Wills Tobacco Factory – was acquired by Hill for redevelopment, with plans to deliver over 100 high-quality, sustainable new homes.

Hill had been relying on more traditional security measures to protect this centrally located site to prevent attracting unwanted attention. These measures are costly and the business decided to move the security of the property to VPS’s guardianship scheme, which would then serve as a temporary home for local working people, whilst adding positive social value for the community.

At VPS Group, social value is integral to our core operations and values. By offering guardianship to our partners and clients, we promote sustainability and enhance social value in communities across the UK.

Allan O’Brien, Regional Director at The Hill Group said “It has been a pleasure working with VPS Guardians to keep the building secure whilst we look at a longer-term housing solution for the care home and the land that surrounds it. Guardianship is a positive two-fold solution as it offers key workers in the community more affordable housing and gives us the comfort of knowing our building is being looked after responsibly.”

Natasha Taylor, Director of VPS Guardians said “Guardianship allows us to think outside the ‘business as usual’ security offering as the security by occupation model directly tackles community safety challenges. Having local people occupy vacant or void properties, helps sustain community wellbeing and promotes happier living environments.”

Due to a national housing shortage, and an ongoing cost of living crisis in the UK, being able to offer temporary accommodation to local working people in buildings going through development planning phases, supports social value in local areas, and keeps the community safe as vacant buildings don’t attract anti-social behaviour, and are safe from squatting.

To find out more about this project, speak to our dedicated guardians team! email: [email protected] or call 020 8236 7688