We’re exploring a merger with Chelmer Housing Partnership (CHP) to create a new, single organisation that would allow us to build more homes, invest more in our properties, and improve services for all customers. Your feedback is essential.
Our consultation closed on Friday 24th October 2025.
We announced in March 2025 that we’re exploring plans to merge with Chelmsford based Chelmer Housing Partnership (CHP). The proposal is that we, Estuary Housing Association, will undertake a transfer of engagements to CHP and both organisations would combine to form a single organisation with a new name. Like us, CHP is a Registered Provider of Social Housing (RP), registered with the Regulator of Social Housing and has charitable status.
CHP would change its name to reflect the new partnership, and the merged organisation would become your new landlord.
While we’re strong independently, we believe that together we could create something new, built on the best of both organisations. We’re both committed to tackling the housing crisis locally, and joining together will also help us better address housing needs. We’d be able to build more new homes, increase investment in our existing homes, and provide better services to our customers.
We currently own and manage 4,500 homes, with the largest number in Southend-on-Sea. CHP have more than 12,500 homes, with the largest number in and around Chelmsford. This means that a merged organisation would own and manage more than 17,000 homes and would be the largest housing association focused on, and headquartered in, Essex.
Our consultation, which ran from Monday 8th September to Friday 24th October 2025, is now closed. We needed to have received all comments by this date for them to be considered.
We’ll look at all the feedback we received during the consultation period, and Estuary’s Board will use the results of what you told us to help them make the final decision as to whether to merge or not. We'll update you as soon as possible once a decision has been made.
We worked with CHP to create this consultation, and they consulted with their customers at the same time.
Our consultation is now closed and all our in person and online events have taken place. If you're curious as to where we went and when, we've kept the table with the details available for you.
Location |
Date |
Time |
Gazebo Location |
| Rochford | Tuesday 9th September | 12.30pm-2pm | St Marks Field, right hand side of car park |
| Colchester | Thursday 11th September | 10.30am-12.30pm | Heatley Way, green area close to number 18 |
| Basildon | Tuesday 16th September | 12.30pm-2pm | Wilson Court, Wickford, close to the dryer area |
| Castlepoint | Wednesday 17th September | 9.30am-11am | Furtherwick Close, middle of car park |
| Brentwood | Tuesday 23rd September | 12pm-1.30pm | Osborne Heights, car park close to number 70 |
| Barking and Dagenham | Wednesday 24th September | 11am-1pm | Kings House, office 105 |
| Havering | Thursday 25th September | 10.30am-12.30pm | In front of Weave Court |
| Epping Forest | Tuesday 30th September | 10.30am-12pm | Wallis Court, central car park |
| Woodgrange Drive Estate | Wednesday 1st October | 10.30am-12.30pm | Central Green |
| Maldon | Wednesday 8th October | 10.30am-12.30pm | Glendale Road, roadside close to 100-121 Glendale |
| Chelmsford | Thursday 9th October | 10.30am-12pm | Wharton Drive area between 44-54 |
| Suffolk Coastal | Monday 13th October | 11am-12.30pm | Fountain Road, green area on the corner of Spring Close/ Fountain Road |
| Thurrock | Wednesday 15th October | 10am-12.30pm | Bexhill Drive, car park near 108 |
| Tendring | Tuesday 21st October | 10.30am-12pm | Chantry Close, green next to basketball court |
| Uttlesford | Wednesday 22nd October | 10.30am-12pm | Willow Road, central car park |
Our online events were: