Manchester progresses council house development company
The council is set to move forward with the formation of a development and management company in order to deliver 2,800 homes, of which 1,800 would be affordable.
The proposal follows an executive report from September last year that confirmed the council’s plans to deliver 6,400 affordable homes between 2015 and 2025. This is 20% of the council’s overall housing delivery target of 32,000 homes during this 10-year period.
This would allow the council to deliver affordable homes directly as well as leaving the option of partnering with a registered provider. If developing directly, the council would still need to appoint a contractor to deliver the properties.
A future report will be submitted to further detail the council’s approach to the housing delivery company.
The council said the key to meeting this target is to use council-owned land and to work in partnership with the city’s registered providers, who in turn can access funding to build homes.
The council has previously worked with housing providers One Manchester on a 25-bedroom scheme at Blackrock Street in Beswick, and with Wythenshawe Community Housing Group to develop 20 homes on land at the former Oakwood Resource Centre in Northenden.
The council is set to hear plans for the formation of the development company today at its executive meeting. Only the necessary number of people will be in attendance to ensure legal processes due to the coronavirus. Manchester City Council has cancelled all meetings after this week.
Cllr Suzanne Richards, executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “Creating our own housing development company means we can take a far more proactive role in affordable housing delivery across the city, using our own land to direct-build homes that Manchester people need.
“We will continue to work closely with our registered social landlords to deliver new homes across the city, but it’s important that we consider every option open to us to ensure new affordable homes are built as quickly as possible.
“The intention is that this will help us not only meet, but exceed our target of 6,400 new affordable homes up to 2025.”
