Town and Country boss Bob Heapy will leave the housing association in April

Town and Country Housing has announced that Bob Heapy, who has been chief executive of the Tunbridge Wells-based housing association for over 13 years, will leave his position on 6 April.

Bob Heapy

Source: Peabody

Bob Heapy will step down as chief executive of Town and Country Housing next month

Heapy will be replaced by Colin Lissenden, who has been appointed as Town and Country Housing’s (TCH) managing director. The managing director position is set to replace the previous chief executive role.

Lissenden has worked at TCH for 24 years and has been the development and property director for the past 16 years.

Heapy has said he will be moving on to other opportunities.

TCH, which provides more than 10,000 homes across Kent and Sussex, became a subsidiary of Peabody in May 2019.

In April last year, TCH completed a merger with Rosebery Housing Association, which owns around 2,700 homes in Surrey and West Sussex.

On his departure from TCH, Heapy said: “It has been a great privilege to lead TCH for these last 13 years, during which time the business has gone from strength to strength. Personally, the time is right for me to move on to new opportunities and I wish Colin all the best in his new role.”

Martyn Burke, chair of the TCH board, said: “Bob has played a pivotal role in TCH’s success during his time as Chief Executive. I think it’s fair to say that, at times, the environment we work in has been challenging – the pressures of Covid being a key example of that”.

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“Throughout, Bob’s hands-on, personable and professional approach has meant that TCH has consistently not just met those challenges, but has developed and grown the support it offers to residents living in its 13,000 homes.