The 36,000-home landlord said the move will boost its zero carbon development.

Greenoak Housing Association operates more than 550 homes in Surrey and Sussex.

Greenoak’s former chief executive, Diana Kingdon has now left her role and Marcus Canning has been appointed interim director of Greenoak.

Marcus, the former assistant director of customer experience at Stonewater, said: “It’s incredibly exciting for me to lead an organisation like Greenoak and have the full support of everyone at Stonewater. Greenoak will maintain a regional operational base in Woking, and I cannot wait to meet everyone and continue the great work that came before me.”

The partnership, which was made official on 31 December 2022, is expected to deliver:

• a new national Centre of Excellence for zero carbon development and retrofit, which will pioneer exemplar projects, standards and processes to achieve genuine sustainability;
• the creation of a new ‘future-proof’ brand for selected developments, to accelerate the provision of energy efficient and sustainable homes;
• the expansion of direct service provision and apprenticeship opportunities through new pilot schemes to enhance asset management and support the development of much needed trades skills, particularly to drive delivery and operation of zero carbon projects.

Greenoak’s chief executive, Diana Kingdon said she is confident the partnership reflects Greenoak’s ambitions: “We have always been about providing good quality homes which are both affordable and sustainable. It is where Greenoak has been at the forefront since winning several national awards for Sustainability and Innovation in this field all demonstrating a passive, fabric-focussed approach.

“The need for more sustainable homes and enabling ‘greener’ living has become ever more pressing to achieve the 2050 net zero carbon target. We need an urgent response to the current housing and cost of living crises, and we could contribute more strongly by working together to provide more energy-efficient affordable homes. Joining with Stonewater will enable us to scale up and play a significant role in the sector’s contribution to the emerging ‘green economy’, by create genuinely sustainable homes and communities, where they are needed most.”

Nick Harris, CEO of Stonewater, believes the partnership will bring a range of benefits: “There is a strong, natural fit between Greenoak and Stonewater, particularly in the areas of social ethos, customer care and commitment to the Net Zero agenda. With so many challenges facing the sector (not least the on-going housing crisis, post-Brexit impacts on supply chains and costs, the climate emergency and the need to drive up customer standards), we need to be agile in our response and the partnership will enhance what we do now, as well as what we want to do in the future.”