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Combined Authority deepens strategic ties with Homes England to accelerate local housing delivery

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Combined Authority deepens strategic ties with Homes England to accelerate local housing delivery

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has signed a new partnership agreement with Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, to support local ambitions for housing delivery which will also underpin sustainable economic growth.

The Strategic Place Partnership (SPP), a Homes England initiative, and a key part of the proposals set out Governments Devolution White Paper, will empower locally-driven plans for housing, regeneration, and sustainable development.

The agreement establishes a shared ambition between the Combined Authority and Homes England to deliver housing and infrastructure that meets the region’s needs and supports economic growth and environmental goals.

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and Eamonn Boylan, CEO of Homes England, formalised the partnership with a ceremonial signing in Huntingdon that commits Homes England to supporting the work of the Combined Authority, and helping to make Homes England directly accountable to the Mayor and the communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

With the agreement now in place, work will define the key priorities for the partnership. The focus will be on ensuring that housing and associated infrastructure planning support vibrant, sustainable communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Housing affordability and shortages are also a challenge to productivity and business growth in the region. Addressing these issues is critical to maintaining the innovation-led local economy as a global competitor. By unlocking the new homes and infrastructure needed, this partnership will not only help to meet local need; it will also help to ensure key sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing, digital, and agri-tech can continue to thrive.

As the government continues to expand devolution and empowers Mayors to drive regional growth, partnerships like this with Homes England will play a vital role in delivering national renewal. The partnership will create a pipeline of investment-ready projects which will align with local priorities, like the developing Local Growth Plan setting out how to accelerate the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough economy, and the outcomes of the region’s recently agreed Shared Ambition. This pipeline will also support bids for extra funding to drive delivery further and faster.

The Partnership was supported by the Combined Authority Board at its November 13 meeting where it was also agreed to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England. A five-year Partnership Business Plan and an Annual Delivery Plan will be developed to ensure the partnership is focused and results-driven.

Homes England has already signed SPPs with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, ,South Yorkshire MCA, and recently Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and North East Combined Authority. This is the first Strategic Place Partnership agreed by Homes England since the announcement of the Devolution White Paper, putting Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority at the forefront of driving growth in the region.

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “The Combined Authority is about building powerful partnerships locally and nationally, with an aligned vision to deliver for the region. We’re committing, with Homes England, to work smarter, together, to help accelerate the building of the new, good quality, energy efficient homes we need, in places that have the capacity for growth.”

Combined Authority CEO Rob Bridge said: “We look forward to working with Homes England and our constituent councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to unlock the region’s Shared Ambition for a better future. Accelerating housing delivery is one of the country’s biggest challenges, but by doing so, we can not only help meet local demand, but also drive the sustainable economic growth that will help keep our innovation economy internationally competitive.”

Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “Through our Strategic Place Partnership model, we work hand-in-hand with local leaders to help them accomplish their ambitious housing and regeneration aims. This SPP marks the Agency’s commitment to working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, to help realise the aspirations set out in the Shared Ambition for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2050.

“We already have a strong track record of delivering transformative projects across the region and through this new partnership we will build on our existing relationships and achieve even more for the local community.”