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Programme certainty is what we crave most when it comes to development

Development schemes are already stalling because of a lack of certainty over funding post-2021, writes Wayne Gales

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Picture: Getty
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“Any slowdown or stagnation is very dangerous, with potential long-term implications.” @wvhtwayne of JV North calls for certainty on affordable housing development after the 2016/21 grant programme has finished #ukhousing

Housing development schemes are already stalling because of a lack of certainty over funding post-2021 writes @wvhtwayne of JV North ‏#ukhousing

Certainty is what we need most when it comes to development, writes @wvhtwayne of JV North #ukhousing

It is rare in the world of housing development for money not to be the main issue in question from which everything else stems.

For developing landlords including JV North – a consortium of housing associations that came together in 2007 to build more – it is future certainty beyond the current 2016/21 Shared Ownership Affordable Housing Programme that is most keenly craved.

While financial matters are always a going concern, we know that funding and commitment from the government exist to help us build homes.

Last year housing moved significantly up the political agenda, the prime minister declared that she is backing the sector, and new funding vehicles such as Homes England’s strategic partnerships were announced.

So what we need now, more than anything else, is confirmation about the next government-funded development programme beyond 2021.

“We are seeing bigger schemes stalling for no reason other than that they can take three years or more to complete”

While April 2021 seems some way off, from a development perspective it is actually a very small window in which to operate and is starting to prove restrictive.

At JV North, we ramped up our homebuilding from circa 3,000 homes at the start of the 2016 programme to what will be more than 4,760 by 2021, but we have now hit a very real problem caused by the programme end date and we have no knowledge of what may follow.


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We are seeing bigger schemes stalling for no reason other than that they can take three years or more to complete, which means they fall outside the 2016/21 programme deadline.

One JV North member has a 150-home scheme that would make a big difference to the housing shortage in its area, but there is not enough time for it to be built out in the 2016/21 programme.

This is very frustrating and is an anomaly of the system – grant funding is secured, our members have committed money to invest, land is identified and there is no shortage of determination.

We wrote towards the end of last year about JV North delivering homes in their thousands for the past 12 years, with funding coming from affordable homes programmes and continuous market engagement.

While the 23 housing associations named as strategic partners have funding and a longer period in which to operate (they will start on site by March 2022) the vast majority of the country’s developing housing associations face a ticking clock.

The implications of schemes being halted should not be underestimated, especially when multiplied on a national level.

The 2008/09 credit crunch saw a lot of experienced people leave the construction and housing sectors, with builders in particular still facing serious challenges to find enough high-quality tradespeople to deliver schemes.

“Any slowdown or stagnation is very dangerous, with potential long-term implications”

It is vital we do not lose capacity in the system again. Any slowdown or stagnation is very dangerous, with potential long-term implications.

JV North has taken some steps to counter this risk by supporting SME contractors through a specialist lot on our framework for schemes of £1m and under, with a pool of 51 (and growing) local companies to select from.

This, along with a lot for schemes more than £1m featuring some of the biggest contractors and consultants in the UK, means we are set up to get on site and deliver very quickly.

Everything is in place, so maintaining the right environment for us to build is critical.

While these problems are serious and concerning, a positive government announcement about a new programme that takes grant-funded development into the mid to late 2020s would alleviate a lot of the worries and frustrations facing many developing landlords.

Crucially, it would provide the confidence and continuity we and the construction industry need in order to maintain momentum and meet the acute demand for good-quality homes across the country.

Wayne Gales, chair, JV North; and chief executive, Weaver Vale Housing Trust

What is JV North?

What is JV North?

JV North is a consortium of housing association members based in the North West of England.

Its website says it benefits from economies of scale by bidding for grant and procuring works as a consortium. It also has its own European framework and shares information, best practice and management.

It has nine “full members” which have a place on the board, and 12 "associate members", mostly legacy organisations that have gone into group structures.

The nine full members:

  • Community Gateway
  • Liverpool Mutual Homes
  • New Charter Housing Trust
  • One Manchester
  • Sovini
  • Torus
  • Trafford Housing Trust
  • Weaver Vale Housing Trust
  • Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

The 12 associate members:

  • Aksa Housing Association
  • Cavendish Property Developments
  • City South Manchester Housing Trust
  • Eastlands Homes Partnership
  • Gedling Homes
  • Golden Gates Housing Trust
  • Helena Partnerships
  • One Vision Housing
  • Parkway Green Housing Trust
  • Trafford Housing Trust and L&Q Developments
  • Willow Park Housing Trust
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