WM Housing Group plans to plough nearly £1bn into building new homes and a series of maintenance programmes once it has amalgamated all its operations under a new name, Citizen.

The West Midlands-based housing association expects the merger of its businesses – Family Housing Association, Optima Community Association, West Mercia Homes, Whitefriars Housing and WM Housing – to be completed by this autumn, when the five providers will cease to exist as legal entities.

The reorganisation will trigger an £870m investment programme, with funds going towards building 2,800 affordable and 500 private sale homes, to be built between now and 2024, plus £200m in planned maintenance and investment in its existing housing stock. A further £170m will go towards regeneration and “safety in the home” programmes.