Mayor of West Midlands tackling region’s affordable homes shortage
Mayor Richard Parker’s mission to kickstart the biggest social housing programme the West Midlands has seen in decades has gained further momentum with the announcement of another major investment.
The Mayor joined construction workers at the Port Loop ‘island community’ in Edgbaston, Birmingham to confirm a £1.7 million funding deal for 124 social and affordable homes on five acres of derelict industrial land.
The investment comes after 6,520 West Midland households, including more than 13,000 children, started the New Year living in temporary accommodation as the region continues to suffer from a lack of affordable homes. More than 60,000 people across the West Midlands are currently on housing waiting lists.
The Mayor said: “Far too many families in our region are stuck waiting for a safe and decent home. This funding for Port Loop will deliver over 100 new social homes on top of the 141 I confirmed for Digbeth only last month.
“Since I took office more social homes are being delivered by the WMCA than ever before. But this is just the start of my plans to tackle the region's housing crisis with more to be announced in the coming months."
The Mayor has set a target of 20,000 new social homes over the next decade, while training local people in the skills they need to get jobs building those homes.
Last month he announced a multi-million-pound investment into a residential tower scheme in Digbeth, Birmingham which will see 55 per cent of the new properties classed as affordable, with 141 being social homes for rent and 127 for shared ownership.
Once completed, the new social housing at Port Loop, which is being built by Keon Homes at a cost of £34m, will be managed by Midland Heart, one of the region’s oldest and biggest housing associations. Of the 124 new homes, 103 will be available for social rent and 21 for shared ownership.
Glenn Harris, chief executive of Midland Heart, said: “This significant investment in social housing, supported by strategic partnership funding from Homes England, combined with our strong partnership with Keon Homes, will see 124 high quality, energy efficient homes handed over to local people who need them."
The scheme is the latest chapter in the on-going regeneration of Port Loop, a long-term project being driven by Birmingham City Council, working with Places for People, developer Urban Splash and the Canal & River Trust.
The former industrial site, which is surrounded on all sides by canals, is being transformed into a new island community. To date 105 homes have been built.
Port Loop will get its first dedicated social housing with 12 of the properties in the scheme being modular homes, built off site in factory-controlled conditions and then craned into place.
The Mayor is keen to see more modular homes used in future social housing schemes because they are quicker to build and cheaper to heat for the people living in them.
