New partnership launched to help tackle West Midlands housing crisis

The aim is to deliver more affordable homes, using modern construction methods

Mayor Richard Parker visiting LoCal in Walsall, which produces modular homes
Author: Kellie MaddoxPublished 18th Oct 2024
Last updated 18th Oct 2024

A new partnership has been launched to help tackle the West Midlands' housing crisis by delivering more affordable homes.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, announced the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will work with leading housing associations across the region to identify new sites to build much-needed housing.

The partnership also aims to use modern methods of construction, including modular homes.

The homes are built in factory-controlled conditions before being assembled on site and could see energy efficient, low carbon homes built at a faster pace and with reduced costs.

The Homes for the West Midlands Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) will see five housing associations - Bromford, Citizen Housing, GreenSquareAccord, Midland Heart, and whg work with the WMCA.

The partnership comes as the number of people on the region’s housing waiting list tops 64,000 with more than 6,500 households, including nearly 13,000 children, living in temporary accommodation.

Mayor Richard Parker said: “When I speak to residents, they tell me how hard it is to keep up with house prices, private rents, and mortgage rates, all of which have risen at unprecedented levels.

“One reason for this is that we aren’t building enough homes, particularly social housing. This has left too many people living in poor conditions.

“That’s why I’m committed to changing how we build homes in our region. I’ve set a target of 20,000 new social homes over the next decade to help tackle the housing crisis, while also training local people to get jobs building those homes.

“This is a shared goal, and I’m confident that by working together, we can make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people in our communities.”

Factory-built modular homes, like the ones produced by LoCal in Walsall, can be delivered and assembled on site in as little as four days for a pair of semi-detached houses - around 40% quicker than traditional bricks and mortar construction.

Ruth Cooke, chief executive of GreenSquareAccord said: “We are delighted to be part of the Homes for the West Midlands Limited Liability Partnership.

“By exploring the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) throughout the partnership we will be able to construct much needed homes in a quality-controlled factory environment, accelerating the overall speed of construction, resulting in quicker handovers and earlier occupancy.

“These homes will also capture more carbon than traditional construction methods and will be much more thermally efficient, resulting in lower fuel bills for customers.

Speaking on behalf of the LLP, Joe Reeves, executive director of finance at Midland Heart, said “With affordable housing emerging as a key aspect of devolution in the West Midlands, this is the perfect time to demonstrate true collaboration between a partnership of housing associations with heritage in the region and the WMCA.

“This new Homes for the West Midlands partnership will complement the annual 3,500 homes built by these Housing Associations in the region by identifying land among strategic economic corridors to deliver homes that meet the policy objectives of the WMCA, particularly in respect of affordability, brownfield remediation, modern methods of construction and energy efficiency.”

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