The government’s housing agency, Homes England, has recently revealed it has acquired £180m worth of land across 19 sites in the last financial year, paving the way for 5,000 new homes across the country, and ensuring a strong pipeline of projects to support the recovery of the housebuilding industry once the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved.
The agency’s acquired sites include 81 hectares of land in Darlington that will see 800 new homes constructed as part of the Burtree Garden Village, while Easingwold-based developer Caedmon Homes, in partnership with the Evans Property Group, has submitted proposals to Hambleton District Council for 28 houses in the village of Brafferton, near York.
14 of the new homes will be put on the open market, and the remaining 14 will be reserved for key workers.
In South Yorkshire, Yellow Studios, on behalf of Bankwood Lane Ltd, has submitted an application to Doncaster Council for a development of a series of blocks of new residential accommodation close to the site of a former colliery, on land off Bankwood Lane and West End Lane in Rossington.
The proposed New Rossington development is located to the east of the former colliery, which is currently undergoing significant, mixed-use redevelopment. Planning permission is sought for the construction of five blocks of between two and four storeys. The development will comprise of 18 houses, and 72 apartments with 23 studios, 30 one-bed, seven two-bed, and 12 three-bed units.
Homes England can acquire sites that have been deemed challenging or that have stalled without investment from the public sector, and the agency has resources and expertise to revive the developments to help produce much-needed housing.
The agency, who is working in collaboration with developer Hellens Group, represents nearly half of the proposed Garden Village site and is working with adjacent landowners on the infrastructure across the site to make sure the scheme is delivered.
Simon Dudley, interim Homes England Chair, said: “It is testament to the hard work and dedication of colleagues and our partners that we’ve met such a strong year-end at this challenging and unprecedented time.
“I want to reassure the sector that Homes England is very much open for business and investing in a long-term pipeline of development opportunities to support market recovery.
“The need for new housing will remain a priority, so we will continue to do business with partners across the sector to create opportunities for future development and support the government’s housebuilding objectives.”
Stephen Kinsella, chief land and development officer at Homes England, said: “As a master developer, it’s crucial that we continue to create development opportunities and provide a pipeline of sites for housebuilders of all sizes, despite the challenging situation the industry is facing.
“In the long-term, we will still have a housing shortage. So by continuing to acquire difficult sites and addressing the barriers which have previously stopped them moving into production, we’re making sure we can deliver on the agency’s mission to accelerate the construction of new homes while addressing the short-term disruption caused by the impact of Coronavirus.”
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