Partnership deal to deliver 10,000 homes across West Midlands

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with developer Urban Splash’s modular housing business to build 10,000 homes in the region.The deal is set to see Urban Splash’s ‘House’ business build the units as part of the WMCA’s plans to deliver 215,000 new homes by 2031.The business is part owned by Japanese housebuilder Sekisui House following a £90m deal signed last year.Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, said combining Urban Splash’s skills with WMCA’s resources and expertise would “help meet the housing demand and transform acres of former industrial land into vibrant new communities, protecting our precious greenbelt land in the process”.Financial terms of the new partnership were not revealed, although WMCA said it had available investment funds to boost housing delivery – launching a single commissioning funding framework in September last year.The homes, designed by architects ShedKM, Mansion House and Townhouse, will be mixed tenure and constructed over the next 11 years.As part of the deal Urban Splash said it would embrace modern methods of construction “as its default construction approach”.