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WMCA enters 4,000-home partnership with developer
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has struck a deal with Lovell Partnerships, which will see the house builder deliver 4,000 homes over eight years.
It will include a joint venture with 21,000-home housing association WHG to build a series of schemes across the region.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “This ground-breaking partnership with Lovell will help us to address these challenges by bringing together their expertise with the WMCA’s powers and resources to build more than 4,000 homes on former industrial land.
“This way we can unlock more brownfield land for homes and jobs and, just as importantly, protect the precious greenbelt land at the same time.”
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He said regeneration expert Lovell had already brought forward stalled housing sites, including in the Black Country where there are high levels of brownfield land.
Schemes in the new deal include 225 homes on a dozen infill sites owned by Sandwell Council and a 283-home development in Walsall.
Stuart Penn, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “Lovell Partnerships are delighted to be the first house builder to enter into a pioneering partnership with the WMCA to unlock housing development on stalled brownfield land.
“By combining our industry expertise and local knowledge, with a willingness to think innovatively, we will unlock significant areas of brownfield land for much-needed housing development.
“Our shared commitment is to deliver high-quality, multi-tenure communities at ‘scale and pace’ while ensuring we leave a lasting legacy everywhere we work.”
More than 14,500 homes were built in the West Midlands in 2018.
WMCA has a £350m housing deal with the government to oversee development of 215,000 new homes by 2031. Ministers handed the combined authority a £41m payment as part of the deal last month.
Mike Bird, portfolio holder for housing and land at the WMCA and leader of Walsall Council, said: “We believe this partnership with Lovell will be highly effective in speeding up the supply of land, predominantly brownfield, for development.
“It will help deliver attractive schemes that ultimately give everyone the opportunity for a decent home and job.”
