Manchester has delivered 31% of its 2032 housing target
Just shy of 11,000 of the 36,000 homes Manchester wants to see built by the early 2030s have been completed, the city council has said.
In a recent update to members on its housing strategy, Manchester City Council said it had delivered nearly a third of its 2032 target to date.
Last year was a particularly good year for delivery, with 2,993 homes built. It was also the best return of affordable homes in 15 years.
The city council is also on record as saying the 2025/26 FY will be the best since the mid-1990s for affordable housing delivery.
Manchester is aiming for 10,000 of the 36,000 total to be affordable. Of the 2,993 homes built last year, 791 were available on affordable tenures.
Overall, 21% of the 10,000 affordable homes target has been delivered with 59% of these capped at the social rent level, a nearly 30% improvement on efforts prior to the adoption of the housing strategy.
There are 1,459 affordable homes on site currently, which includes 814 social rent homes – with a further 2,704 homes with planning permission or with an application submitted, the city council said.
Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “Our housing strategy was designed to be ambitious and to drive significant housing delivery across the city, including thousands of social rent, Council and genuinely affordable homes to help meet demand as Manchester’s population continues to grow.
“Four years in and we are already seeing positive progress against our targets and we know that our strong pipeline of major projects will continue to grow in the coming years. Our progress so far is a testament to the strong work partnerships we have in Manchester and the registered providers that are committed to delivering the homes our residents need.
“Building homes at scale – particularly social rent housing – remains a major challenge for cities across the UK, but we have created a really strong base of projects that will help accelerate new home building in the coming years.”
Excellent news
By Anonymous
I will find the reference, but in 2019 there were nearly 5,000 housing completions in Manchester.
Please check your facts.
Notwithstanding this Manchester leads the UK in providing new homes.
By R. Mark Clayton
Yes but how many are “affordable” housing rather than developer expensive apartments?
By Anonymous
As a way of underpinning its rightful place as the Uks second city in both social responsibility and GDP, Manchester has built a strong foundation for sustained delivery through the late 2020s.
This is demonstrated by the mix of committed partners, rising pipeline volumes, and proven delivery capability puts the city in a strong position to meet and potentially exceed its long‑term targets.
While social rent delivery remains a national challenge, Manchester has created the conditions for accelerated future growth in this area – another benefit of the Bernstein legacy. I am still to see clear proof his legacy will be perpetuated by the current crop of leaders and do’ers, but the signs are still positive.
By Steve5839
Brilliant progress, it’s especially heartening to see the social homes being delivered. Hopefully they will continue to be built across all sizes (including family homes, not just 1 or 2 bed apartments which seem to be the preferred choice for developers) and throughout the city, including the areas where market prices are higher.
At the same time, we hope officers take note of their own figures, highlighted in November’s Full Council meeting, that there is enough brownfield land for homes for everyone – there’s no need to build on green nature and play spaces, of which there is officially a considerable deficit.
We can have a city that we can thrive in, not just survive in.
By Friends of Ryebank Fields
If you look out in the wider UK landscape it’s becoming clear that Manchester has faster economic growth than other cities, but house prices are growing less slowly, which is testament to more delivery.
By Rich X
@Rich X Don’t know what gives you that impression. Over the last decade, house prices in Manchester have outpaced both the regional and national average. The focus seems to be on expensive luxury skyscraper apartments which, if anything, are driving the average price up. Manchester has nothing to be proud of on the housing front.
By Anonymous
Anon 7.17……….Manchester has nothing to be proud of on the housing front……..that must be one of the most ridiculous posts ever on this site and that is saying something…..
By Jonnyboy
Anonymous Jan 29th 7.17am – can’t link to the FT article that shows Manchester rental growth lagging Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool. No room for complacency, or happy that the absolute level, but other cities (albeit with lower rent levels) are getting squeezed because their supply isn’t as robust.
By Rich X