AN ANDOVER-BASED housing association has been ranked in the top ten of the UK’s biggest housing association builders, by leading sector publication Inside Housing.

Aster Group ranked ninth in the annual Top 50 Biggest Builders Survey 2021, three places up from last year.

Despite widely reported construction and global supply chain challenges caused by COVID-19, Aster delivered 928 homes across the financial year to the end of March 2021 – almost 200 more than predicted at the start of the pandemic.

In Hampshire, 152 new homes were built, with 92 for affordable rent and 60 for shared ownership.

Alongside making the top ten for number of homes completed last financial year, Inside Housing also ranked Aster in its top ten for the number of completions expected across its patch in the south of England during the next financial year. Aster plans to build nearly 3,000 homes by 2023.

Commenting on making the top ten, Amanda Williams, Aster Group development director, said: “We’ve been ambitious and had an incredibly successful year for our development programme, despite the challenges facing the entire housing industry.

“The next few years will be critical in redressing the inequalities exposed during the pandemic for those still looking to find a home in a place they want to live.

“Access to quality, affordable housing is a fundamental right that many are still deprived of and we’re well-positioned and determined to play a key role in changing that.

“There’s huge demand for affordable housing in Hampshire so it’s great to have been able to provide 152 much needed affordable new homes for local people across the region.”

The Inside Housing Top 50 Biggest Survey gives an overview of how the housing association sector performed during 2020/21.

For more information visit: aster.co.uk