South Yorkshire housing associations set out plan for region

News03.03.223.30 PM by Stephen Delahunty

Housing associations in South Yorkshire have set out plans for how they can deliver more homes across the region.

The housing associations plan to deliver homes of different tenures across South Yorkshire (picture: Getty)

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Housing associations in South Yorkshire have set out plans for how they can deliver more homes across the region #UKhousing

A new prospectus looks at how housing associations can work with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and local authorities to deliver the region’s housing priorities.

The prospectus is the work of a dozen associations, including Sanctuary and Great Places Housing Group, which provide more than 30,000 homes across South Yorkshire.

Over the past five years, housing associations have built 1,339 homes in the region and the plans outlined a commitment to build more homes “across a wide range of tenures” with a placemaking approach.

This approach will look to minimise the impact of development on the environment by using local materials and adapting construction methods to meet the challenges of a low-carbon economy.

The plan said: “There is an opportunity to develop a place-based strategic partnership approach rather than individual sites, underpinned by a grant commitment over a five to 10-year period. This greater certainty will lead to a longer-term commitment and an enhanced ability to deliver larger and more challenging sites.”

The prospectus acknowledged that the delivery of new affordable homes is reliant upon a pipeline of future sites, coupled with an assessment of capacity to enable longer-term decisions to be made.

The group offered to undertake an assessment of both financial capacity and pipeline sites at a regional level.

It said this will allow for an assessment of how both can be used to increase the supply of new affordable homes, resulting in a pledge of new homes delivery over the next five years.

The prospectus also outlined plans to develop a shared approach to apprentices across the region’s longer-term programmes.

It will also look at linking up associations’ spending plans to provide aligned investment and offer more opportunities for collaboration.

Speaking on behalf of the housing associations, Paul Common, chief executive of Arches Housing and chair of the Housing Providers Forum, said: “Housing is a vitally important priority for South Yorkshire. The housing associations working across South Yorkshire are already building new affordable homes and tackling climate change by looking at how we can make homes more energy efficient.

“By collaborating with the new South Yorkshire mayor, alongside the mayoral combined authority and its partners, we can deliver even more, maximising the opportunity that devolution offers. It means we can deliver more for South Yorkshire to benefit the region and those who have made it their home.”