Building much needed homes across the region is the aim of a new collaboration launched yesterday (02/09/25) by the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith.
Mr Skaith was joined by Pat Ritchie CBE, Chair of Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, to officially launch the Strategic Place Partnership, and chair its first meeting, in York.
The partnership, which also includes City of York Council, North Yorkshire Council and York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership, will aim to speed up homebuilding in coastal, urban and rural areas.
Mr 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.
“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.”
Pat Ritchie CBE, Chair of Homes England, 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. 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.”
The Partnership will seek to boost the number of homes available for local people across York and North Yorkshire, with a priority on affordable housing. The agreement, signed yesterday, details how it would use three key objectives to unlock sites.
Plans include stronger working relationships with major site owners such as the Ministry of Defence and Network Rail, while also developing a collaborative action plan on delivering affordable housing.
The partnership will also commit to speeding up delivery of ‘investment ready’ sites, such as land already granted planning permission, and stalled sites. It will also strive to ensure all new homes are built using methods to support the region’s goal of achieving carbon negative by 2040.
The signing of the agreement with York and North Yorkshire means Homes England now has nine Strategic Place Partnerships in place with Mayoral and Combined Authorities across England.
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