Housing developments which have stalled could get investment from Lincolnshire’s Mayor in a bid to get them moving again, writes Local Democracy Reporter Jamie Waller.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns’ office is looking at how devolution funding could be used to speed up house-building across Greater Lincolnshire.
A list of developments which have stalled or would benefit from extra investment will eventually be whittled down to five.
The combined authority meeting of council leaders on Wednesday, April 29 was told it would help to speed up building over the next five years.
Ruth Carver, chief executive of the county’s Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We have asked all local authorities and developers what schemes they have that would accelerate housing.
“It went from a list of 200 to 100 to 50. The criteria are focused on deliverability in the next five years.
“We will end up with a list of five schemes which Homes England will work in partnership with us.
“We will look at others which need funding to accelerate, and use our own resources.”
Approximately 29,000 homes are likely to be built in the next five years, according to the authority, with a further 80,000 in the pipeline beyond that.
Although the Mayor doesn’t have planning powers to sign off on projects, it’s hoped the role can bring partners together to make them a reality.
Coun Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said it was vital that new homes were accompanied by new infrastructure.
“Communities get wound up because the infrastructure doesn’t get there until hundreds of homes are already built,” he said.
“We need to get developers who are prepared to invest, otherwise these places end up feeling like a work of fiction, not fact.”
The mayoral authority is also progressing with plans for a ‘veteran’s village’ for former armed forces members.
Officers said plans had evolved from a single site into a cluster of housing added to existing communities.
Two sites whose locations are confidential are currently being assessed.
