History

In the early 20th century, the land that is now known as Castle Vale was home to the first aeroplane take-off in Birmingham. This marked the start of a long aviation history for the area.

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome opened in 1914 and operated until 1960, being a major airfield in both World Wars. At the end of World War II, one third of Birmingham’s housing within Birmingham was declared unfit to live in. A major building programme followed, with new homes and high-rise blocks built on the Aerodrome site.

Despite its rich aviation history, the area faced serious challenges by the 1970s. It suffered from poor construction and maintenance, social deprivation and high crime rates.

In December 1991, Michael Heseltine announced to Parliament that Castle Vale had become a candidate for Housing Action Trust (HAT) status.

The HAT was formally established in June 1993 with a 12-year mission to regenerate Castle Vale.

It delivered huge improvements; not just new homes, but better health, education, employment, and a big drop in crime.

At the end of its 12-year tenure, the trust needed to find way of maintaining their work after it was disestablished.

Castle Vale Community Housing Association (CVCHA) was set up in 1997. We began managing homes developed by the HAT’s partners.

In 2003, a landlord ballet found 98% of residents voted to transfer homes to CVCHA. CVCHA later became Castle Vale Community Housing.

Together with Compass Support, it enjoyed over a decade of success, based on their  passion for the Castle Vale community. Castle Vale went from strength to strength as they delivered first-class housing services and worked with partners to make it clean, safe and welcoming.

By 2015, we knew we needed to grow and respond to changing social and economic needs.

With the financial strength and regeneration expertise to do more, we reestablished as The Pioneer Group.

Our name reflects Castle Vale’s long aviation history – the Pioneer Era of Aviation ran from the first successful powered flight to the start of World War I.

Our propeller logo represents the Spitfire, built at Castle Bromwich in 1945.

Soon after, Stockland Green Opportunity Housing and Training joined us, as they looked for a partner that shared its value and could deliver high-quality housing and training in their community.

We’re proud of what we’re achieved, and what we’re still doing, in Castle Vale and its surrounding areas.

We serve the residents of Castle Vale not just as a housing association, but also through The Sanctuary, Castle Vale Stadium and Skills Hub.