A new ten-year strategic delivery partnership has been established to deliver high-quality housing developments and wider regeneration projects across York for the Council.
City of York Council has signed the new partnership agreement with developer Cityheart and its partner Willmott Dixon. Using its multi-disciplinary expertise, the partnership will help deliver the Council’s ambitious pipeline of new affordable homes and regeneration plans, benefiting York residents and the city’s economy.
City of York Council Leader, Cllr Claire Douglas said:
This is an important moment in our plans to build new homes and regenerate sites across the city.
"By establishing this partnership now, it brings all the necessary skills and capacity together to make our ambitious plans a reality over the next decade. This marks a turning point for the council in its approach and a significant step forward in how we deliver new homes within the local housing market, including our commitment to 100% affordable homes. I’m very optimistic about the opportunities this will provide to residents looking for an affordable home in our city”.
The partnership will help to accelerate housing delivery, particularly for new high-quality, low carbon Council homes. It’s expected to build some 300 new homes in its first phase, which will be genuinely affordable to rent, buy and run. Subject to further approvals, new Council homes will be built on Council-owned land at Ordnance Lane (Fulford Road), Willow House (Walmgate), Lowfield Green (Acomb), Castle Mills (Piccadilly) and the old Manor School site (Boroughbridge Road).
It will also support the Council’s wider regeneration objectives by bringing larger, complex sites owned by a number of different organisations towards redevelopment. This includes public sector-owned sites and significant brownfield regeneration schemes.
In addition, and the partnership will deliver a long-term Social Value Plan aligned with education and skills, and economy priorities included in the current four-year Council Plan. This includes providing a lasting legacy of apprenticeships and job opportunities.
Councillor Dave Merrett, Executive Member for Housing at City of York Council, said:
We’re committed to delivering greater numbers of homes for social rent and shared ownership on sites across the city.
"Creating this partnership will reboot housing delivery on publicly owned sites, particularly for new high-quality, low carbon, affordable Council homes.
“It’s great to see work already getting underway in preparing for new homes at the former Willow House site, given its huge potential. Building homes that are both more affordable to heat, and more affordable to buy or rent is what residents expect to see and what we will do on these publicly owned sites”.
Business cases will come forward to Executive for each site, ensuring the public is able to see progress and decision making at every stage.
Darren Jones, Senior Development Director for Cityheart, said:
The scale of opportunity presented by this partnership is hugely significant.
"By combining the Council’s long-term ambitions with expertise in regeneration, development and delivery, we have a strong foundation from which to bring forward sites that can have a transformative impact across York. Our focus will be on creating high-quality places that meet local needs, support economic growth and deliver lasting benefits for residents and communities for many years to come.”
Alex Shillito, Regional Head of Land and Development at Willmott Dixon, said:
York has set out an ambitious vision for delivering new homes and investing in its communities.
"This partnership brings together the expertise needed to turn that ambition into reality, combining long-term thinking with a focus on delivery.
“Working alongside City of York Council and Cityheart, we look forward to bringing forward high-quality homes and regeneration opportunities that create lasting value across the city."