Developers told to brace for housebuilding boom

West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has vowed to deliver a new dawn for housebuilding across West Yorkshire, by “working in lock-step” with local housing providers and the new government in Westminster.

A West Yorkshire Housing Strategy 2040, the first of its kind for the region, has been unveiled.

The strategy identifies untapped potential for new housing across Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, where over 38,000 new homes could be built on previously developed land.

The plans will bring together the five local authorities of West Yorkshire to deliver across four core missions – boosting housing supply, building affordable homes, improving existing homes, and creating vibrant communities.

Brabin said: “Our 15-year housing strategy gives us the long-term, joined-up approach we need to tackle this intolerable housing crisis, ensuring everyone has a safe and secure place to call home.

“Housing is a basic human right and the foundation for a good and healthy life. By working in lock-step with the new government and our brilliant local housing partners, we will deliver a new dawn for housebuilding across West Yorkshire.”

The launch of the West Yorkshire Housing Strategy follows a speech made earlier in the week from the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, who vowed to “get Britain building again”.

To help deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament, the Chancellor and MP for Leeds West and Pudsey has pledged to work with Mayors and local leaders, restore housebuilding targets, and reform planning rules whilst bolstering planning teams.

According to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, there are approximately 85,000 people and families on waiting lists for a council home across the region, with house prices reaching six times the average annual wage.

Private renters have also been hit hard by the “double-whammy” of high inflation and poor conditions.

Councillor Denise Jeffery, leader of Wakefield Council and chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Place, Regeneration and Housing Committee, said: “For too long, strict Government rules over where our brownfield housing fund is spent have blocked our plans. This has limited too much of what we’ve been able to achieve to places where land values are already high.

“With the backing of a new government, and the promise of greater flexibility in how we can make decisions, we can build 38,000 new homes. That is at the heart of delivering a region which everyone can be proud to call home.”

Andy Wallhead, chief executive officer of WDH and chair of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership, added: “Housing associations are already leading the way on housebuilding in West Yorkshire, with our partnership members collectively providing a fifth of all homes across the region.

“But, by working with the new Government and continuing our close collaboration with the Mayor, we’re determined to do even more and will keep on building to provide the affordable and sustainable homes needed to unlock West Yorkshire’s true potential.”