The region's smaller
developers have been urged
to consider applying for millions of pounds of
funding to help get their housing
schemes underway.
The West Midlands Combined
Authority (WMCA) is keen to see more developers take advantage of
the financial support on offer to help build the affordable
homes needed to tackle the region's housing
crisis.
Around £57m has been secured by
the WMCA alongside existing funding for
the coming year to help developers build new homes on
derelict industrial land and other vacant urban
sites.
Developers typically find building on
such sites too difficult or expensive to undertake on their own
because of the high cost of cleaning up the
land.
The housing funds available to
developers help reduce that cost, unlocking schemes that not only
increase the number of new homes for local people but
also drive jobs and economic growth.
Max Abbott, the WMCA's head
of development and delivery, said: “If you have a
housing scheme of 10 homes or more but are struggling to make it
work financially then I would encourage you to get in touch and
see if we can help make your vision a
reality.
“There are thousands of vacant urban
sites, many of them derelict eyesores, crying out for
redevelopment at a time when we face an acute shortage of homes
that are genuinely affordable for local
people.
“This is an opportunity for private
developers to secure the support they need to get
spades in the ground and help tackle our region's
housing crisis, changing thousands of lives for the
better.”
Since 2018, the West Midlands Combined
Authority (WMCA) has awarded
around £159m to private
and public sector developers, unlocking more
than 8,500 new homes,
mostly on derelict industrial sites, often referred to as
brownfield land.
And since taking office in May
2024, Mayor Richard Parker has focused WMCA funds on
building more affordable housing, in particular social rent – the
most affordable type of home.
The shortage of such properties means
there are now 65,335 households across the region on social
housing waiting lists with 7,450 households, including 14,976
children, currently living in temporary
accommodation.
The Mayor's drive to kickstart the
biggest social housing programme the region has seen in
decades has already won the support of government, which
recently announced up to £1.7bn for the region's 10-year Social
and Affordable Homes Programme starting this April. That could
see at least 10,000 affordable new homes built across the West
Midlands over the coming decade.
And in October 2025, the
Mayor announced his new £40m Social Housing Accelerator
Fund, releasing extra money to be used for social rent
properties by cutting red tape surrounding existing WMCA housing
funds.
That money will be used to convert
1,000 properties that are ready for occupation, under
construction or soon-to-be-built, over to social rent
homes.
Those will be on top of over 750
social rent homes already unlocked since the Mayor took office as
part of his ongoing ‘Homes for Everyone'
priority.
Funding is potentially available for
developers with residential schemes of ten homes or more that are
facing viability issues. Developers can find out more by
contacting invest@wmca.org.uk
