Homes England and the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) have agreed a partnership to speed up the building of new homes across the region.
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, launched the ‘Strategic Place Partnership’ collaboration with Pat Ritchie CBE, chair of Homes England, at a meeting in York.
Plans include closer working with major site owners such as the Ministry of Defence and Network Rail, plus a joint action plan for delivering affordable homes.
The partnership will also focus on speeding up delivery of sites with planning permission and stalled projects.
It aims to make sure new homes help the region meet its target of becoming carbon negative by 2040.
Skaith said: “Across York and North Yorkshire, we are in the midst of a housing crisis, with some of the most expensive homes in the UK.
“With over 10,000 households on housing waiting lists in our region, we must act now.
“We need to build the right homes in the right places, ensuring people in all our towns, cities and villages can stay and live in our region.”
Skaith added: “Bringing together Homes England, our councils and key organisations through the York and North Yorkshire Strategic Place Partnership will help us all deliver on our shared vision to get building.”
Ritchie said: “Our Strategic Place Partnership with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority shows how Homes England supports local leaders and partners in delivering place-based regeneration.
“In York, for example, we are already working with partners including Network Rail, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum to drive forward the transformation of York Central – one of the UK’s largest brownfield sites – into new homes, cultural spaces and infrastructure.
“Delivering 1.5 million homes this Parliament will take a collective effort across the housing sector.”
Ritchie added: “Homes England’s role is to support locally-led projects like this, helping ensure new neighbourhoods reflect long-term regeneration goals and the needs of communities.”
