A2 brings its services to the high street

A2 Housing Group has taken its services to Slough town centre in order to offer local residents a more convenient way of accessing their housing services.  

Officially opened by the Mayor of Slough on 19 April, 'A2 Local' is situated on Slough High Street and offers a one stop shop facility for residents living in and around the area to access a full range of services on their door step.

A2 has over 800 homes in Slough and residents are able to visit the conveniently located shop to make use of services such as paying rent, reporting a repair and even enquiring about buying a new home. The shop will also provide facilities to host local resident meetings.

A2 Housing Group have properties throughout the south east and recognise that it is not always convenient for residents to visit the head office in Staines. A2 Local offers another outlet where residents will be able to receive the same service that is provided at the head office.

The shop will be opened in partnership with Campsie (a prominent estate agency and property services firm working throughout the region) who will provide the premises, part of which A2 will rent for their own staff.

John Knevett, CEO at A2 comments:
"Sharing the site with an established estate agent means the overheads are minimal and the service remains cost effective as we don't incur the expenditure of large premises".

A2 has 15,000 homes offering a variety of affordable housing, including private sale, and is continuing to grow across the south east. The idea for A2 Local arose to meet the challenge of retaining local focus, whilst expanding its housing portfolio. If successful, A2 Local Slough will be one of many similar outlets established to maintain a local presence in A2's areas of operation.

As well as being a convenient way for residents to access services, A2 and Campsies see the new facility as going some way to address some of the misconceptions of social housing.

John Knevett, Chief Executive says:
"By combining our facility with those of a private organisation, it goes some way to blurring the boundaries between commercial and affordable and, as such, goes some way to de-stigmatising our sector.

Chris Shipman, Chairman of Campsies comments:
"Campsie have a real synergy with A2 in terms of the areas in which we work.  Above all, this initiative resonates with our view of how we see the affordable housing and private sector market developing.  It extends the range of customer choice, improves the quality of service and should be a win-win situation for all parties."

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