Inside Housing – Home – Homes England opens up grant funding for regeneration projects

Effective immediately, funding provided through the 2021-26 AHP can be used on replacement homes as part of estate regeneration, as long as schemes are providing additional new affordable homes.
“We have been receiving very substantial levels of feedback from the sector for quite a period now about how they needed support,” Peter Denton, chief executive of Homes England, told Inside Housing.
He said there was a need to demonstrate regeneration and placemaking “not just with cities and towns, but also with… estates”.
Funding decisions will be made on a regular basis up until the end of March 2025, subject to availability of funding, the agency said. All schemes must start on site by 31 March 2025 and will need to complete within the AHP’s current timeframes.
Mr Denton acknowledged it was “a short window”, given the timing of the current AHP, but said there was “definitely a window of opportunity to demonstrate and get the financial support”.
The change, agreed with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, comes after a campaign from housing associations keen to redevelop outdated or substandard stock and engage in wider placemaking.
However, the agency has retained its ‘additionality’ requirement, which some providers had argued should be relaxed. As a result, regeneration projects that do not plan to increase the current number of homes will not be eligible for grant funding.
Homes England said there was no set proportion of additionality to qualify for funding and providers were urged to come and talk to the agency, even if their current proposals did not have it.
“We do want to try and challenge people, typically through densification, to see both the replacement of existing homes as well as the provision of new,” Mr Denton said. “My own experience suggests there’s plenty of opportunities whereby you can do both in the same place.”
Providers can apply through Homes England’s continuous market engagement route, while existing strategic partners will be able to use grants already allocated to them, the agency said.
Homes England is keen to see proposals that can deliver at pace, maximise the number of new affordable homes and enhance efforts to level up and regenerate communities. It will run an evaluation to measure the success of the change, which it sees as a “proof of concept”.
The agency said the increased flexibility aligned with its five-year strategic plan, published in May, which placed a greater focus on regeneration. Homes England is planning to refer to itself more prominently as the government’s housing and regeneration agency.



Source link