What this means for Preston
Our vision for better homes, facilities and spaces in Preston
Raven Housing Trust is committing to investing in its communities as part of its three-year plan, ‘Delivering What Matters’, to create homes that are fit for the future and neighbourhoods that are safe, secure and clean.
Raven owns and maintains over 1,000 homes in Preston and our investment across the wider neighbourhood will deliver far-reaching improvements for everyone who lives here.
Following our recent engagement with you and a review of our current stock, our emerging vision for Preston is for improved homes, shops, community buildings, open and green spaces, routes and connections.
Together these investments create an opportunity to deliver benefits for the whole community and improve the Preston area. Benefits will include new places to live, work, shop, gather and enjoy, improving the neighbourhood for you and future generations.
Since 2024, we have been listening to Raven customers and wider residents to understand what life is like in Preston – what you think works well and what you would like to see improved. Your feedback has helped inform our emerging proposals for future improvements in the area.
As part of our ongoing review, maintenance and upgrade programme of Raven stock, we will continue to invest in homes, community buildings and open spaces across Preston.
However there are also a small number of homes and shops that are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain to modern standards. This has led us to develop further investment proposals for redevelopment of these areas. Residents who are directly affected have been contacted separately and sent additional information about what the plans mean to them and the support available.
We understand our renewal proposals would be a big change, and we want to hear your views. We are still at an early stage and nothing has been finalised or agreed. Our public consultation events in October 2025 both in person and online — are a chance to share your thoughts and help shape the plans.
Key points to bear in mind are:
No final decisions have been made
We are in the early stages of developing our renewal proposals and we want to hear your views
Our investment plans in Preston will take a number of years and the bigger changes will take place in stages
Any redevelopment of homes will not start for a few years
Residents whose homes are proposed to be affected are being informed directly and offered a number of options to speak with us
Our team will provide support every step of the way for all impacted residents
Why we are proposing some redevelopment
Raven has been upgrading homes, buildings and open spaces in Preston for a number of years as part of our ongoing review, maintenance and upgrade programme to ensure they are fit for the future. Our review has helped us understand where our investment will have the most positive impact. This includes showing which Raven homes will benefit most from upgrades and which require redevelopment as upgrades will not deliver long-term improvements.
There are a small number of homes and shops that are becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain to modern standards. Our review and feedback from residents highlighted the following issues:
Ageing buildings from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s
Expensive to heat and look after
Cold, draughty or stuffy inside
Outdated in terms of layout, design and sustainability
Hard to move around in, especially if you have mobility needs.
Without rebuilding, these homes will become harder for residents to live in and harder for Raven to maintain. That’s why we are proposing to redevelop these homes and shops as part of Preston’s wider renewal.
This is also an opportunity for Raven to maximise benefits for the wider area, renewing and improving open and green spaces, community facilities and shops as well as routes and connections through and within Preston.
Our key goals
We are working towards the following key goals and have started by completing a review of all Raven buildings.
Review of all Raven homes, buildings and open spaces This review helped us understand where we could make improvements through upgrades and where redevelopment is considered the best option.
Meet our sustainability and net-zero commitments:
All Raven homes to achieve an EPC rating of C or above by 2030
Aim to achieve Net Zero Carbon* by 2050.
Improve green and public spaces to better support play, wellbeing and nature. This means creating spaces that feel safe, promote community use and boost biodiversity.
Deliver future-proofed, energy-efficient homes powered by sustainable sources that are better for the environment and cheaper to run.
Opportunities for more homes
We are carefully reviewing the area to see if or where new homes could be introduced to help deliver much-needed affordable housing.
Enhancing Local Centres
We’re looking at how we can increase and improve facilities and community spaces, and enhance outdoor spaces.
Improving Routes and Connections
We want to make it easier, safer and more enjoyable to move around the neighbourhood, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes upgrading key routes to local centres and ensuring they are safe, accessible and welcoming for everyone.
*Net Zero Carbon means not adding extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere - by introducing energy-efficient measures and offsetting any remaining emissions through actions like tree planting - so the amount we produce equals the amount we remove.
A collaborative approach to deliver real change
Creating lasting change takes more than one organisation. While Raven is leading this work, we can’t do it all alone. This is why we are working with our partners, including Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Surrey County Council and other service providers in the area, to deliver improvements that reflect what matters most to you.