Liverpool City Region and Homes England sign first Place Delivery Agreement
The agreement marks the launch of a new co-delivery partnership model that aligns national investment and expertise behind mayoral priorities
Pat Ritchie CBE, Chair of Homes England and Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Homes England and its subsidiary, the National Housing Bank, have signed a Place Delivery Agreement (PDA), creating a new partnership to accelerate the delivery of homes, regeneration and economic growth across the city region.
The agreement, the first PDA to be signed anywhere in England, will ensure that national investment, capacity and expertise are focused on realising Liverpool City Region’s ambitions to create new homes, unlock major regeneration opportunities and drive long-term growth.
PDAs are a new mechanism that support the government’s devolution agenda by moving the relationship between Homes England, the National Housing Bank and Mayoral Strategic Authorities from collaboration to co-delivery. Through dedicated Joint Delivery Units with colleagues from Homes England and the Strategic Authorities, shared commitments and strengthened accountability arrangements into mayors, they give local leaders and communities a stronger role in shaping the housing, regeneration and growth priorities that matter most in their areas.
As devolution progresses, PDAs will become the principal way Homes England works with mayoral authorities to drive housing delivery, regeneration and growth, supported by the Agency’s new regional operating model. Alongside this, the Agency will continue to work with local partners in non-mayoral areas, ensuring every place can access the support, investment and expertise needed to achieve its ambitions.
The PDA with Liverpool City Region will give increased mayoral influence over housing and regeneration investment decisions and align Homes England and National Housing Bank activity around three key pillars set by Liverpool City Region. These are:
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Transformative growth – delivering Liverpool North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation and Central Station Gateway, large-scale projects that will transform the city region.
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Housing pipeline – maintain and enhance the City Region’s housing pipeline to increase the delivery of social, affordable and council homes.
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Tackling barriers – working together to create the conditions needed to accelerate housing delivery across social, affordable and council home delivery, skills, capacity and issues in industrialised construction, and enhancing place-based investment.
To support this, a dedicated Joint Delivery Unit will be created, bringing together Homes England, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the National Housing Bank.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, commented:
I’m delighted that Liverpool City Region is the first place in the country to sign a Place Delivery Agreement with Homes England and the National Housing Bank.
This gives us a real opportunity to get more council and social homes built, get stalled schemes moving and make sure investment is focused where it can make the biggest difference.
We’ve got huge ambitions for housing and regeneration across our city region, from the North Docks and Central Station Gateway to projects right across our boroughs. This agreement means we can work with Homes England and the National Housing Bank as one team to get on and deliver them.
For me, this is what devolution should be about - giving places more control and then getting on with the job.
Chair of Homes England, Pat Ritchie CBE, commented:
Successful places are built by empowering local leaders to drive change in their communities. Today’s agreement marks an important step in deepening our partnership with the Liverpool City Region, enabling us to work together more effectively to deliver new homes, unlock regeneration opportunities and support economic growth.
By strengthening the link between local priorities and national investment, expertise, tools and powers, we can re-wire the system to better support delivery and have a greater impact for the people and places we serve. We look forward to expanding this approach with mayors across England in the months ahead.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
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The Place Delivery Agreement with Liverpool City Region is available here
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The PDA with Liverpool City Region builds on the existing Strategic Place Partnership, which focused on collaboration around shared ambitions and priorities.
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The Liverpool North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation will help unlock around 17,000 homes and support the long-term transformation of Liverpool’s northern waterfront.
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Central Station Gateway will support around 4,300 homes alongside commercial growth, connectivity improvements and regeneration across 86 acres of the city centre.
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The PDA will also give Liverpool City Region a greater role in shaping housing investment across all tenures, helping to ensure investment reflects local priorities and opportunities.
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Increased mayoral influence over investment decisions will be complemented by efforts to mobilise greater levels of private and institutional investment, supporting the delivery of new homes and the growth of local communities.
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Working as a single team, the Joint Delivery Unit will provide a clear route for delivery, develop investable project pipelines and help accelerate the housing, regeneration and growth projects that will shape the future of the city region. The Unit will be led by nominated co-chairs from each organisation.
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PDAs build on the Agency’s strong foundations of working with places, including its regional operating model, Strategic Place Partnerships and other memorandums of Understanding it has with places across England, and represent the next stage in how the Agency works with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
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They provide a more formal framework for aligning Homes England’s investment, expertise and delivery activity behind locally led priorities, giving mayors a stronger role in shaping housing delivery, regeneration and growth across their areas.
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Homes England aims to agree a Place Delivery Agreement with every EMSA and MSA over the coming weeks, supporting local ambitions through a shared commitment to delivering place-based growth and regeneration.
About Homes England
We are the government’s housing and regeneration Agency, and we’re here to drive the creation of more affordable, quality homes and thriving places so that everyone has a place to live and grow.
We make this happen by working in partnership with thousands of organisations of all sizes, using our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.
Learn more about us: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about
About the National Housing Bank:
We are the National Housing Bank, a Homes England company and government-backed public finance institution providing purpose-led finance to accelerate housing delivery and regeneration across England.
Over the next decade, we will invest up to £16 billion through debt, equity and guarantee products, stepping in where the market cannot. We aim to attract more than £50 billion of private capital to enable more homes, stronger places and thriving, sustainable communities.
We offer partners tailored and blended finance solutions alongside the full range of Homes England support. Our delegations and flexible approach mean we can respond with agility to changing market conditions, bringing long-term investment to transform places and boost economic growth across England.
Learn more about us:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/national-housing-bank/about
Press Office Contact Details
Email: media@homesengland.gov.uk
Phone: 0207 874 8262.