New Director of Development and Regeneration for Trivallis
Trivallis, a registered social landlord based in Rhondda Cynon Taff, has appointed Michelle Thomas to the role of Director of Development and Regeneration.
Michelle joins the organisation with over thirty years’ experience in social housing and brings with her extensive knowledge of the sector from her work in local government and other housing associations.
She joins Trivallis from her previous role as Director of her own development consultancy, Riverside, based in the South of England.
Michelle said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been announced as the new Director of Development and Regeneration at Trivallis.
“I’ve been tremendously impressed by the work that’s already being done across Rhondda Cynon Taff and I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across the organisation and beyond, to build on this great work and increase the number of much needed affordable new homes in our communities. It signals a new chapter in the story of Trivallis and I’m proud to be a part of it. ”
While at Riverside, Michelle worked with numerous housing associations including Stonewater and Greensquare. Before this, she was Head of Development at Merlin Housing, a similar large scale voluntary transfer (LSVT) organisation to Trivallis, in terms of its customer size.
As a specialist in new build development and regeneration, Michelle has worked on a number of high profile projects; most recently leading on a £35 million pound scheme to bring 145 affordable homes to a former factory site in Sussex and delivering a project to deliver 48 new homes on two Southampton City Council owned sites.
At Trivallis, Michelle will be responsible for identifying the requirements for building sustainable communities as well as working in partnership with the Local Authority, Welsh Government and other key stakeholders to maximise investment in Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Trivallis is currently involved in developing 30 new homes in Aberdare town centre, comprising of 12 one and two bedroom apartments in The former Boot Hotel and 18 one and two bedroom apartments in The Black Lion and The Exchange. These developments aim to connect customers with links to employment in the area, as well as bringing derelict buildings back to public use in the heart of the town centre. Following similar schemes in Pontypridd, Trivallis has become an expert in working with partners to convert listed buildings and re-purposing them in a way that will benefit our communities and future generations. Both of these projects have been funded using Social Housing Grant and constructed by TEDs Developments.
Speaking on the appointment, Trivallis’ chief executive Ian Thomas added: “We are very pleased to be welcoming Michelle to Trivallis. Not only does her appointment fill a vital seat in our Executive Leadership Team but her experience and vision for how we can regenerate the area is really exciting.
“Bringing in someone of Michelle’s calibre is testament to the growing external reputation of Trivallis and gives us the level of expertise we need to help us achieve our ambitions.”
Trivallis is currently working towards developing a new vision and strategic priorities following the appointment of Michelle as well as new Board members including Jonathan Huish who is taking up the role of Chair. The new vision aims to put the customer right at the heart of everything Trivallis does and will look at ways in which Michelle’s role can help influence regeneration in the area.
