West Yorkshire to deliver thousands of affordable homes

The Combined Authority has agreed funding to help deliver 5,000 affordable and sustainable homes on brownfield land.

The region secured £66.7m of funding from the Brownfield Housing Fund, which supports the development of new homes on brownfield sites by March 2025, as part of the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal.

Brownfield redevelopment ensures that contaminated land is cleaned up and restored, bringing underused or derelict sites back into wider use for the local community, which benefits the environment and removes threats to health and safety.

Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire, said: ‘As someone who grew up in social housing, my primary ambition for housing is to provide at least 5000 affordable homes over the next three years which are well connected, located in sustainable places and built to address the climate emergency.

‘We are building a better future for our residents by working together not just as councils, but with housing associations and with developers to reduce the barriers that block this kind of investment and vision. 

‘But vital to this work is to listen to those in need and act upon what we hear. I am sad to say that there are still hundreds of people in our region who desperately need to be rehoused. They deserve good quality accommodation; structurally sound buildings that are safe and can be truly called home.’

She added: ‘Working alongside other West Yorkshire Leaders is key to achieving my housing pledge for the region. We recognise that, despite what has been achieved to date, more needs to be done for those who are unable to access housing due to rising house prices. No one should be left without options; no one should be forced into poor quality and expensive rented housing.’

The Combined Authority has been working with its partner councils, housing associations and developers to allocate the funding where it is most needed.

In related news, a successful funding bid will allow Oldham Council to transform two challenging brownfield sites into over 400 new homes.

Photo by Anthony Fomin