Homes England, Liverpool City Region sign country’s first co-delivery accord
The government’s housing agency, the National Housing Bank, and the combined authority have forged a deeper working relationship having signed a Place Delivery Agreement to speed up the construction of homes.
The PDA is the first of its kind inked in England and will add additional heft to regeneration plans around Liverpool’s North Docks following the establishment of a mayoral development corporation for the area.
The MDC will seek to unlock development opportunities for 17,000 homes and 5m sq ft of commercial and employment space across 430 acres of derelict former docklands.
As well as North Docks, the partnership will also focus on making good ambitious £5bn plans to maximise the potential of land around Liverpool Central station.
According to Homes England and LCRCA, the agreement will “ensure that national investment, capacity and expertise are focused on realising Liverpool City Region’s ambitions to create new homes, unlock major regeneration opportunities and drive long-term growth”.
PDAs are a new model that will see Homes England work in partnership with mayoral strategic authorities as Prime Minister Andy Burnham seeks to deepen devolution across the country.
“This gives us a real opportunity to get more council and social homes built, get stalled schemes moving and make sure investment is focused where it can make the biggest difference,” Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said.
“We’ve got huge ambitions for housing and regeneration across our city region, from the North Docks and Central Station Gateway to projects right across our boroughs. For me, this is what devolution should be about: giving places more control and then getting on with the job.”
Chair of Homes England, Pat Ritchie said: “Successful places are built by empowering local leaders to drive change in their communities. Today’s agreement marks an important step in deepening our partnership with the Liverpool City Region, enabling us to work together more effectively to deliver new homes, unlock regeneration opportunities and support economic growth.
“By strengthening the link between local priorities and national investment, expertise, tools and powers we can re-wire the system to better support delivery and have a greater impact for the people and places we serve. We look forward to expanding this approach with Mayors across England in the months ahead.”
