Shepherds Bush set to fold fully into Guinness under plans proposed by board

Guinness Partnership’s subsidiary Shepherds Bush Housing Association (SBHA) could be folded entirely into the 70,000-home housing association under new proposals put forward by the boards of the two organisations.

SBHA, which manages around 5,000 homes, became a subsidiary of £459m-turnover Guinness last December. The boards of both organisations are now proposing a ‘full merger’, under which SBHA folds into Guinness entirely, with the aim of completing the move on 1 April next year.

In an announcement today, Guinness said: “The respective boards of SBHA and Guinness are proposing to move forward with a full merger through a transfer of engagements from SBHA to Guinness, and are commencing a programme of engagement and consultation with residents, staff, and other significant stakeholders.

“Subject to consideration of the consultation responses and securing all necessary consents, we are targeting completion of the transfer of engagements on or around 1 April 2025.”

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Prior to joining Guinness last year, SBHA had been found non-compliant with the Regulator of Social Housing’s governance and financial viability standard. In June 2022, the RSH published a report identifying weaknesses in the association’s risk management and internal control frameworks and business plan reporting. The regulatory judgement was removed as a result of the merger.