GLYN ROBBINS joined TEAM as Acting Head of Sustainability after a career in public service. He received his MSc from the London School of Economics and worked for Newham and for Tower Hamlets Councils, where he set up the Empty Homes Initiative. He has also worked with tenant management organisations for the Islington ALMO and as New Initiative Manager for an RSL.

Glyn says: “I joined to help TEAM build sustainable homes that give residents more control”.

Q  So, what is the Code for Sustainable Homes all about?  

Glyn:  The government has said that it wants all newly built homes to be ‘carbon zero’ by 2016.  The aim is to reduce the amount of domestic CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming.  That’s a big challenge to the house building industry, particularly when you remember that government is also calling for 240,000 new homes a year.  At TEAM, we’re ready to take up the challenge.  We are already looking at how we can achieve the highest possible rating under the code at our future developments in Bethnal Green and Poplar.  But it’s not just about ticking boxes.  We want TEAM homes to be ‘sustainable’ in the widest sense of the word.  The homes we build are only the start of the story.  How people live in them is ultimately up to them, but we want to do everything we can to encourage communities that want to take responsibility for their environment.

Q Housing policy is changing. How is TEAM positioned to help to shape that future?

Glyn: TEAM aims to deliver the best housing management service in the world. Our ambition is to provide 10,000 homes a year. That’s a big challenge, but we can do it if we build our reputation as honest managers of our estates. TEAM’s basic pledge is a Quite, Defect-Free Home. This must be delivered – otherwise, we would be just like all the rest. Why does it take two weeks to get a leaking tap repaired? It is almost accepted in housing that you have to wait, you have to phone three times before you get the right person, and then the plumber turns up with the wrong part. Our commitment to meeting the Zero Carbon Homes agenda is essential to our future plans.

Q What difference will this make to people’s attitudes to the shared space around their homes?

Glyn: We want residents to feel a sense of responsibility for the environment around their homes. That’s an unusual pitch to make in the private sector. But we don’t visualise an ordinary residents’ association: we need a bigger investment of people’s time and energy. That’s what happens among the leaseholders of apartment blocks in America where the ethic of voluntary work is great. We hope it will work here. We don’t want our residents to be divided along class lines, with the penthouse fraternity living in ‘gated homes’. Working to improve things like recycling and energy efficiency can only be successful if everyone is involved. TEAM is taking on a difficult challenge, but we have a clear vision of how it will work. That gives us a chance. TEAM does not accept the prevailing wisdom on everything. It has a radical approach to issues like community land trusts, and land value taxation, which it is willing to talk about in the public interest.