United House
Encyclopedia
United House is a property development company based in the United Kingdom. It the leading housing PFI
contractor in the UK and is active in construction of new private and social housing, urban regeneration and refurbishment
.
in council housing while the tenants remained in occupation.
Harp Heating broadened this service into an internal refurbishment product for the GLC
, installing a package of heating, bathroom, kitchen and electrical works in four days. To achieve this they developed highly organised logistics arrangements, and this remains a distinctive feature of the company's services, distributing materials on a just in time basis from its 100,000 sq ft warehouse adjacent to the head office at Swanley
.
After Jeffrey Adams joined the company in 1981, becoming its joint owner with Granter, the company changed its name and expanded into housebuilding and general renovation. In the 1990s, the company won substantial business under the Private Finance Initiative
linked to the Decent Homes Programme, and building of new social under the Blair-Brown government.
In 2010, Granter retired from the business and Steven Halbert joined the board as Chairman. Lloyds TSB Development Capital (LDC) invested a minority stake and RBS
provided bank loans to fund further expansion in inner city
private housebuilding.
and 2010 Development of the Year for Arundel Square, Islington.
Likewise it had won the Daily Mail British Homes Awards 2009 Apartment Building of the Year for Queensbridge
Quarter in London Fields
, Hackney.
, the original location of the Cass Business School, into residential use. It was also involved in the Central St Giles mixed-use development in Covent Garden
.
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
contractor in the UK and is active in construction of new private and social housing, urban regeneration and refurbishment
Refurbishment
Refurbishment may refer to:*Refurbishment *Antiques restoration*Automotive restoration...
.
History
Geoffrey Granter founded the company in 1964 as Harp Heating. The initial core business was installing central heatingCentral heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
in council housing while the tenants remained in occupation.
Harp Heating broadened this service into an internal refurbishment product for the GLC
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
, installing a package of heating, bathroom, kitchen and electrical works in four days. To achieve this they developed highly organised logistics arrangements, and this remains a distinctive feature of the company's services, distributing materials on a just in time basis from its 100,000 sq ft warehouse adjacent to the head office at Swanley
Swanley
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...
.
After Jeffrey Adams joined the company in 1981, becoming its joint owner with Granter, the company changed its name and expanded into housebuilding and general renovation. In the 1990s, the company won substantial business under the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
linked to the Decent Homes Programme, and building of new social under the Blair-Brown government.
In 2010, Granter retired from the business and Steven Halbert joined the board as Chairman. Lloyds TSB Development Capital (LDC) invested a minority stake and RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
provided bank loans to fund further expansion in inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
private housebuilding.
Awards
The company has won many awards including the Daily Telegraph British Homes Awards 2011 for the housing project at Clapham One,and 2010 Development of the Year for Arundel Square, Islington.
Likewise it had won the Daily Mail British Homes Awards 2009 Apartment Building of the Year for Queensbridge
Queensbridge (ward)
Queensbridge is a ward in the London Borough of Hackney and forms part of the Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency.The ward returns three councillors to Borough Council, with an election every four years. At the last election on 6 May 2010, Emma Plouviez, Tom Price, and Patrick Vernon, all...
Quarter in London Fields
London Fields
London Fields is a park and the name of an area of London, situated in the eastern borough of Hackney. The park itself was first recorded in 1540. At this time it was common ground and was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London.London Fields is just over ...
, Hackney.
Other notable projects
The company carried out the conversion of Frobisher Crescent at the BarbicanBarbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
, the original location of the Cass Business School, into residential use. It was also involved in the Central St Giles mixed-use development in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
.