Aiming Higher with Sutton Housing Society
Led by progressive Chief Executive Robin Roberts, Sutton Housing Society has sought to rewrite the senior living rulebook, redefining how homes for older people can look and feel – and where and how they are built.
Hosted in the recently completed airspace transformation at Norman House, Aiming Higher will lift the lid on how 170 desirable new homes can be delivered on brownfield sites without purchasing a single square metre of new land.
Aiming Higher will cover:
- The reality of airspace development and insight into planning and delivery challenges
- Visit new airspace developments and learn how Sutton has delivered rooftop homes
- Visit desirable specialist senior living homes
- Discover and see the latest independent living design and technology
- Meet residents, industry experts and specialist suppliers
Participants include home accessibility manufacturers, PROCare including their in-house brand Invisible Creations, and experts and independent living technology innovators, Alertacall.
Aiming Higher is a free event for social housing professionals.
Spaces are limited, but people from outside the social housing are welcome to register an interest (attendance is at the discretion of the organisers).
Agenda
10am – Tea, coffee and networking at Norman House
10.30am – Welcome and introduction from Sutton Housing Society’s CEO, Robin Roberts.
Shouting from the rooftops
10.45am – Airspace: the past, present and future, and its potential to our cities. An overview from Val Bagnall, one of the UK’s leading airspace development specialists .
11.10am – Getting technical with structural engineer Nigel Reynolds of Elite Designers, and architect Ian Connew of Arkon Associates, on how to extend buildings upwards.
Contemporary living in later life
11.30am – Meet a Sutton resident.
11.45am – From generic to aspiration: Learn more about Sutton’s approach to design and specification from Sutton’s CE, Robin Roberts and OD Glynis Gatenby.
12:10pm - Meet Alertacall - the experts in delivering digital technology to ensure that people stay connected, safe and informed in social housing.
12.30pm - Meet Invisible Creations - the stylish home adaptation specialists that support dignity through innovative design.
Site visit
12.45 – Chose between visiting a Sutton Housing Society apartment, or, view further technical details on airspace development.
1.30pm – Lunch and networking
Getting there
Sutton Housing Society is around a one-hour drive, or 30 minutes by public transport, from Central London.
The nearest London Overground Station is Sutton.
Exit J9 on M25 from the west and J8 from the east.
What is airspace development?
Building new homes on existing buildings, rooftop, or airspace development could offer a high-impact, scalable way to densify urban housing, especially where land is limited.
While not without challenges, it presents significant opportunities for developers, councils, and communities—especially when approached with the right mix of policy alignment, technology, and stakeholder engagement.
Sutton Housing Society
Sutton Housing Society is a multi-award-winning housing provider that is dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable homes that residents are proud to call home.
This means providing homes that are desirable, innovative and energy efficient, while its ‘resident first’ approach ensures it is responsive, personal, and rooted in the community.
· Best Older Person Landlord – UK Housing Association Awards 2024
· The Sunday Times Best UK Non-for-profit to work for 2025
Sutton is in the process of increasing its available housing stock by over a third, developing multiple innovative rooftop and scheme extensions.
Robin Roberts, Chief Executive, Sutton Housing Society: “Our aspirations have been bold, and we want to share our experiences and knowledge with landlords of all sizes.”
Read about Robin and Sutton Housing Society in Inside Housing
