City council teams up with housing association to accelerate housebuilding

The partnership will then seek to leverage public and private investment, accelerating the delivery of new affordable homes.

Steve Coffey, chief executive of Torus, said: “The national housing crisis is acutely felt in Liverpool, with nearly 15,000 people on the waiting list for a home.

“This is therefore a vital partnership that will see us working together with Liverpool City Council to create and then deliver an all-inclusive housing plan for the north of the city which will also play an intrinsic role in the wider regeneration of the area.

“It will allow us to build homes in volume at a far quicker rate and reduces the number of schemes delivered in a piecemeal fashion.

“We already have in the region of 10,000 homes in north Liverpool, with 195 more being completed next month at Hartley Locks in Lightbody Street.”

Mr Coffey said the areas targeted were already the focus of investment, citing Everton Football Club’s new stadium and the transformation of old tobacco and tea warehouses.

The council’s recent announcement that it would put £5m into the transformation of Great Homer Street Market (known as Greatie), demonstrated the local authority’s commitment to “progressing placemaking”, Mr Coffey said. 

Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy at Liverpool City Council, said: “We are determined to do all we can to improve the supply of affordable homes for sale and rent in Liverpool, and play our part in delivering on the government’s housing agenda.

“North Liverpool offers huge opportunities to create new affordable housing on brownfield sites. This memorandum of understanding is a clear commitment from the council and Torus to deliver housing-led place-based regeneration.”

Earlier this month, Inside Housing reported that the council was planning to procure houses in multiple occupation and studios from private landlords in a bid to reduce the number of people staying in B&Bs and hotels.