- 310 sites identified in City Region for 64,000 new homes
- City Region awarded £700m for new social and affordable
housing
- £2bn needed to bridge viability gap and unlock complex sites
- LCR Developer Network meets for first time to accelerate
delivery
- Mayor tells industry leaders: “…having a decent home isn't a
privilege – it should be a human right.”
Mayor yesterday (Thursday) told an
audience of public and private sector leaders to work together to
speed up plans to build 64,000 new homes at 310 sites across the
Liverpool City Region.
The Combined Authority last month approved a major housebuilding
programme with a pipeline of projects waiting for investment.
This followed the announcement of £700m for new social and
affordable housing – the biggest single investment into new homes
in the City Region.
To tackle financial viability issues holding back delivery of the
full pipeline of priority sites, a new LCR Housing Developer
Network has been set up. Opening the inaugural event at
Liverpool's Titanic Hotel, the Mayor called for greater
collaboration for the sake of the many families who are ‘left
waiting or living in uncertainty'.
, Mayor of the Liverpool City
Region, said:
“I've always believed that having a decent home isn't a privilege
– actually, I think it should be a human right. It's the
foundation of everything that we do in life. And yet, across our
city region too many families are being priced out, left waiting
or living in uncertainty, while good sites sit stalled and
unused.”
“This is an important moment for us. It brings together
developers, investors, local authorities, contractors, registered
providers, and other key stakeholders in the sector, all with a
shared ambition to accelerate the delivery of homes across our
region. The goal today is very simple: to strengthen how we work
together, build confidence in the market, and ensure that
good-quality homes are delivered where they are needed most.”
Jointly with Homes England, the Combined Authority (CA) is
already investing £1.3m to bring forward a major programme of 310
priority sites across Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St
Helens and Wirral, identified through a Strategic Place
Partnership (SPP) with Homes England.
At the CA's January 23 meeting, cabinet members approved the
project pipeline and endorsed the creation of a Housing
Investment Fund, aimed at unlocking stalled projects and
accelerating their delivery.
Analysis of the programme shows an estimated £1bn is needed to
support 139 projects while the full pipeline of 310 sites could
require support totalling £2bn.
Under the SPP, the LCR Developer Network has been created to
build connections between regional and national housing
developers and investors, and work alongside established land and
property networks.
To accelerate the housebuilding and regeneration programme, the
Combined Authority has also backed plans for a Mayoral
Development Area, covering the North Docks area of Liverpool, and
a Mayoral Development Corporation to manage regeneration.
Claire Griffiths, CEO of Cobalt Housing and Chair of the
Liverpool City Region Housing Association Group, said:
“We've spent the last six months working much more closely with
our colleagues in the Combined Authority, with Homes England and
with local authorities, The appetite, the clear need and the
capacity is absolutely there – it feels different this time and
we are absolutely geared up to deliver.”
Mark Connor, Chief Executive, Vermont Property group,
said:
“I think this is a much-needed shot in the arm where we can begin
to look at schemes holistically between the public and private
sector to see how we can make those schemes viable. We now need
that proper engagement.”
