SSR NEWS
Kickstart Housing Delivery
The Government has proposed to kickstart housing delivery with a £400m programme that will unlock stalled sites.
Announced in the 2009 Budget, it will provide investment support for infrastructure and development costs complemented by support for affordable housing and Homebuy Direct.
Kickstart introduces a new means for the HCA to support development and infrastructure costs on an investment basis. It offers a way for that support to be invested alongside measures intended to create greater certainty on the demand side including funding for affordable housing and HomeBuy Direct. In the guidance it is stated that the HCA would offer a contribution to infrastructure or development costs for stalled housing projects which have a planning consent and that the HCA will seek to recover its investment at an appropriate time and to share in any uplift in values if and when market conditions improve.
Private sector developers, organisations who control land and housing associations are eligible for funding subject to certain criteria:
1. Proposal of 50 homes minimum
2. Sites should have detailed planning consent in place or the ability to achieve this by the beginning of September 2009
3. Sites should also have their other funding in place.
4. Quality of the design of prospective projects and local need
Expressions of interest should be sent to the HCA by 8th June 2009 and potential bidders are encouraged to speak to their Homes and Communities regional teams.
However, guidance and Heads of Terms have been produced online. For more details on eligibility go to http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/kickstart_housing
Jodi Anderson-Smith
