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Joint venture discussions underway between Greater Manchester councils and housing associations
Discussions are underway between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and housing associations in the region to form a development joint venture, Inside Housing understands.
Greater Manchester Housing Providers (GMHP), which is made up of 26 housing associations and ALMOs across Greater Manchester, and the GMCA, which is made up of the 10 local authorities, have been looking at forming a joint venture to build new homes across the region.
Inside Housing understands the discussions are at an early stage and there is no detail yet on how many homes could be built, the tenure of the homes or a timeline for when the deal could begin.
Greater Manchester Housing Providers has already been working closely with the combined authority in a number of areas, including tackling homelessness and joining up the housing and health sectors.
A number of pilots across the region have seen housing officers placed in accident and emergency departments to help patients return to suitable accommodation once they are discharged and to ensure vulnerable residents’ homes are warm.
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The housing associations have also been actively involved in the region’s Housing First pilot and 15 associations and two private sector landlords have pledged to give 270 homes to the scheme.
The combined authority is currently working on a second draft of its spatial framework, with an emphasis on building on brownfield land and avoiding green belt development. The first framework was criticised by mayor Andy Burnham, who said there would be a “radical rewrite” of the plan to avoid green belt development.
The GMCA has said that only around 3,000 homes are being built in the region per year, which is “far fewer” than needed.
There were 7,030 homes started in the region in 2016/17, with only 420 built by housing associations or councils according to the latest government statistics. Only 4,100 homes were completed in 2016/17.
Both GMCA and GMHP declined to comment.
