Manchester City Council has announced it will strengthen alliances with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in a bid to boost housing supply.
The Manchester Place partnership will secure a pipeline of development-ready sites while working with investors and developers to boost house building. Support could extend to providing access to public resources.
Forecasts estimate the city’s population will exceed 600,000 by 2030. The city council’s Manchester Residential Growth Prospectus has laid down targets for the creation of 55,000 new homes by 2027.
Manchester Place will work with landowners to prepare sites for development, assemble land and produce a co-ordinated response to government house-building initiatives. It will be overseen by a board jointly chaired by the local authority’s chief executive and the regional director of the HCA.
An annual investment plan will also identify priority sites for potential residential development that could benefit from public and private sector investment.
Cllr Jeff Smith, executive member for housing and regeneration, said: ‘Manchester Place will secure an integrated approach by Manchester and the HCA to stimulating faster and wider interest in the city’s housing market.
‘We welcome conversations with other investors, both international and UK-based, about the many opportunities in the city and will engage with landowners and developers to create a development pipeline for all investors and developers willing to support our residential growth strategy.
‘This is a significant partnership which should have a huge positive impact on Manchester’s housing market.’
Deborah McLaughlin, North West executive director at the HCA, said: ‘Manchester Place captures the strong working relationship that has developed between the City Council and the Homes and Community Agency, and is a great demonstration of how we can jointly use pioneering investment models to stimulate growth,’
