L&Q
L&Q (London & Quadrant) is a housing association operating in Greater London, South East England and East Anglia, based in Stratford.[1] Quadrant Housing Association, one of its original forebears, was established in 1963. L&Q is one of the largest housing associations in London, according to The Times. As of 2019, the company owns 95,000 homes across London and the south-east.[2]
Founded | 1963 |
---|---|
Founder | Rev Nicolas Stacey |
Type | Housing Association |
Location |
|
Area served | London & South East England |
Product | homes to buy, affordable & social rented homes, supported & sheltered housing |
Key people | Aubrey Adams OBE (Chairman) David Montague CBE (CEO) Waqar Ahmed (Finance) |
Subsidiaries | Quadrant Construction Services Ltd, L&Q Living & Trafford Housing Trust |
Employees | 2300+ (2017) |
Website | http://www.lqgroup.org.uk/ |
History
The Quadrant Housing Association was formed in the London Borough of Greenwich in 1963 when 32 people invested £2 each to create a housing association. Its founder, Rev Nicolas Stacey, was a Church of England priest who later became head of Social Services for Kent County Council.[3][4]
In 1973 Quadrant joined forces with another association, London Housing Trust, which had been set up in 1967. The merged organisation was named London & Quadrant Housing Trust.
In 2011, London and Quadrant was criticised by Conservative Party politicians alleging that L&Q had misled the public and MPs over its plans for development on the site of the Walthamstow Stadium.[5]
In December 2016, London and Quadrant merged with the East Thames Housing Group.[6]
In February 2017, L&Q completed a deal to buy the private land company Gallagher Estates for £505 million from Tony Gallagher.[7]
An independent review conducted by Campbell Tickell in 2018 revealed maintenance of some of the company's properties had fallen below standards.[8]
The Times reported in 2019 the company owned 95,000 homes across London and the south-east.[2]
In 2019, L&Q acquired Trafford Housing Trust.[9]
Quadrant Construction
In 2010, L&Q created an in-house construction practice, Quadrant Construction, which grew by 2016 to a £200m turnover business, making a £4m profit that was given back to the housing association. However, on 23 May 2017, L&Q announced a restructuring which would see Quadrant rebranded, with consultations starting about possible redundancies among the 200-strong workforce.[10]
References
- The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2012/jun/08/london-and-quadrant
- Bounds, Andy; Evans, Judith. "L&Q to spend £4bn building homes in north-west England". Financial Times. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "Obituary Rev Nicolas Stacey". The Times. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- "The Reverend Nicolas Stacey, reform-minded Anglican – obituary". The Telegraph. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- Hill, Dave (2012-11-11). "Walthamstow stadium: "This is not over," pledges Duncan Smith as campaign turns fire on Boris". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "East Thames and L&Q announce successful merger completion and refinancing". East Thames. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- Isabelle Fraser (2 February 2017). "L&Q snaps up land investor Gallagher Estates in £505m deal". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- "'Weaknesses' found after investigation into L&Q repairs service". Inside Housing. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- Place North West, https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/lq-completes-trafford-housing-trust-takeover/
- Morby, Aaron (23 May 2017). "200 Quadrant Construction staff face restructure". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 23 May 2017.