Using KTP to Enhance Neighbourhood Sustainability – A Case Study of Wulvern Housing Association’s Sustainability Indicators (WINS)

Abstract

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading programmes to help businesses improve their competitiveness through incorporating knowledge, technology and skills from universities. While the KTP is still very popular with businesses around the UK, more and more public bodies and not for profit organisations are also recognising the benefits of such partnerships. Wulvern Housing Association is one of these organisations. They are seeking to expand their neighbourhood sustainability assessment tool (WINS) in order to identify ‘sink’ neighbourhoods, put initiatives in place to reduce the number of void properties, rent arrears and anti social behaviour (ASB) and ultimately to guide future investment strategies. The importance of sustainable neighbourhoods for housing associations across the UK obvious. Although the achievement of a universal decent homes standard has been long outlined as a priority area by successive Governments, organisations such as the National Housing Federation and the Homes and Communities Agency now demand a more expanded approach to asset management and indeed the concept of the ‘community’.

This paper examines the role of KTPs in facilitating the development of the company’s practical assessment instrument known as the WINS (Wulvern Indicators of Neighbourhood Sustainability) tool. It explains how the company determined that this type of assessment is important and why their sustainability indicators tool is innovative. Combining both quantitative and qualitative research data, the paper evaluates the relationship between neighbourhoods, public consultation and sustainability indicators within the Crewe area. It discusses and highlights the successful and less successful elements of the project so far. It details what the project is about, what has and what has not worked and can be used as a guide for future ‘social’ KTP projects in the UK. The paper also analyses some of the work carried out nationally which forms the basis or rationale for developing such a neighbourhood sustainability tool. The paper also outlines some of the problems facing Wulvern in Cheshire and housing associations nationally. It discusses Wulvern’s attempts to improve housing stock and neighbourhoods by achieving decent home standards, energy efficiency ratings and progress towards measuring the condition of their neighbourhoods. Initial findings suggest that, in many instances, some of the main issues facing Wulvern customers and their neighbourhoods are less transparent.