Housing Associations collaborate to support the North Wales Growth Deal
A group of six local housing associations have come together in an exciting joint venture to accelerate development of new affordable homes in support of delivery of the North Wales Growth Deal.
The Growth Deal is the North Wales region’s commitment to working collaboratively to facilitate and accelerate economic growth. £120 million funding was approved for the Deal in the 2018 Budget announced in October. The Deal aims to use government funding to channel nearly £700m worth of public and private money into a series of projects aimed at boosting the North’s economy and creating thousands of jobs.
Chief Executives from the 6 Housing Associations operating across North Wales, including Pennaf, Cartrefi Conwy, Cartrefi Cymuneddol Gwynedd, Grwp Cynefin, Wales and West Housing and North Wales Housing are voluntarily collaborating with colleagues from the six Local Authorities. The group is considering how they can proactively work together to develop more homes by unlocking stalled strategic sites across North Wales, which have previously been allocated in a Development Plan or where planning permission has been granted. Such developments will reflect local opinion and respond to known community desires to see more affordable housing so that local young people and families can live locally.
Helena Kirk, Chief Executive at North Wales Housing explains:
“This ground breaking level of collaboration between all of the regional associations has not been developed or delivered in Wales to date.
It is an exciting opportunity for the group of six local associations to make a strategic contribution to the economy and the plans to accelerate housing growth and meet a range of housing needs across the region.
The collaboration will support the Growth Deal to accelerate housing growth, creating more affordable homes needed across North Wales. By working together, the combined capacity of our organisations can be utilised to break down barriers to achieving housing delivery on challenging sites.”
Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans said:
“This is an exciting opportunity to create more affordable housing for people in North Wales. By collaborating, this venture has the potential to be greater than the sum of its parts, and we will be looking to offer to assist its development.”
The group’s plans for the future are currently being developed to fit in with Welsh Government and Local Authority priorities.
