Pochin Homes

Source: Construction Digital

Date :17/03/2008 14:58:15

In 2003, John Coupland was taken on by Pochin’s PLC to set up a private sector housing company. He explains to Exec how Pochin Homes has developed

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Nicholas Davies

Having been involved with the construction sector all his working life, John Coupland was approached by Pochin’s PLC, a general contractor and construction group, with the task of setting up a private sector housing company, adding another capability to its portfolio. John accepted the challenge and became MD of Pochin Homes, which has since seen rapid organic growth.

Although Pochin Homes has an element of autonomy, Coupland says, “I have to work within group policy and group guidelines, but at the end of the day we run our own operation. When we started, my aim was to buy a site that was oven ready, if you like, with planning. We did that within a few weeks and commenced building the company around an active site.” Six houses were constructed on the land and these were sold within the first year.

As if this was not achievement enough, this first development in Crewe won a Built in Quality Award. Since then, Pochin Homes has gone on to win a second Built in Quality Award for The Coppice development in Cheshire in 2007. Coupland describes this as a significant achievement for a company that has only been operational for four years.

New developments

The company focuses on the North West of England, with sites in Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire. Coupland says that the company is also looking at land in Lancashire and the Welsh Borders, but explains that land choice is all “a matter of control” so that it does not overstretch the company’s management capabilities.

2008 will be a busy year for Pochin Homes as it already has a number of projects in place. “We’re currently active on four sites, and have just opened a development of 39 units in Cockshutt, Shropshire,” Coupland says.

The company has recently completed a site in Longton, Stoke on Trent. All 53 units were sold within twelve months and the MD describes it as a “cracking site”. “It demonstrates that by getting the right product mix, i.e. two storey properties, it works,” he says. The company has a portfolio of almost 20 house designs, which are generated by external architects, and almost all new homes come with turf in the front and back gardens.

Award winning safety

The Group focuses on the training of its people to ensure that they offer the best service they can. As part of the Pochin group, the company has an annual training budget to be used where appropriate. Coupland says that his team have their training programmes for 2008 arranged already, while the company has also had two employees obtain professional qualifications - a B Tech National Certificate and a MSC in surveying.

Health and safety plays an important part in ensuring the company provides a good service to its employees, its contractors and its customers. In 2007 Pochin Homes won a silver award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and it is aiming for the gold award in 2008. Pochin Homes’ sites are regularly inspected and training plays an important part in maintaining health and safety standards.

In Cockshutt, Pochin Homes ran a campaign to impress upon local children the dangers of building sites. Starting out with a site visit and talk with health and safety staff, local children went along to the Pochin Homes development, which is virtually opposite their school and were made aware of the dangers. This community involvement also led to pupils taking part in a ‘Dream Bedroom’ competition, enabling the children to get involved with the development by designing a bedroom for the new show home.

Not only did it generate links with the community but it also raised brand awareness, which is something that Pochin Homes is looking to build upon, and which led the company to take on a PR company in 2007.

Challenging market

In line with the government’s codes on sustainability, Pochin Homes is advancing its methods of building by focusing on using environmentally friendly methods. Importantly, Pochin builds timber frame constructions, which are build-friendly as well as being made from a renewable resource that can also be recycled. “It comes as a kit and we are able to be watertight within a matter of days,” Coupland explains. These frames are also sourced from within the UK, which means that they have not negated their environmental benefits by travelling around the world.

“We’re looking at doing all sorts of things at the moment,” he continues, “including provisions to support our achieving the required levels to meet the code for sustainable homes, of which there are many. These include installing solar powered heating for water, compost regeneration, water storage, bike stores and lots more.

“In addition to the codes on sustainable housing, the government is seeking to increase the number of new houses being built in the UK by 2016. Like many in the industry, Coupland hopes these targets will improve the current situation in the market. “Land supply remains a problem as a result of an out-of-date planning system,” he says, but he hopes that the government will remedy that in line with its targets.

Coupland also points to the volume builders who have helped to fuel what could be termed as ‘artificial land value increase’ by development of apartments, which substantially increase site coverage thus generating higher land values than that generated by traditional two-storey developments. Time is now beginning to prove the folly of this action as the demand for apartments is now well over subscribed with a number of completed units standing unsold.

Unfortunately, however, landowners are very reluctant to sell their land at levels of value below that previously achieved and this could result in stagnation in the land supply at levels of value, which would enable more traditional housing to be built which there is still a demand for.

He goes on to highlight another problem facing the industry is the fact that mortgage rate rises and reductions in house prices, in combination with planning issues, means many analysts are predicting “significant drops in house values over the next two years”. However, he remains optimistic in the light of such challenges. “I think throughout this gloomy outlook it should be remembered that following the slumps in the 70s and 90s the market eventually returned even stronger,” he says. In order to ensure that Pochin Homes is ready for this change the company will maintain good housekeeping and a strong position, so that it is able to respond immediately to market changes.

“I think, being smaller, we’re in a better position than some of the big boys,” he continues, explaining that Pochin Homes is more flexible and better able to respond market changes in the future.

Click here to view the corporate brochure on Pochin Homes