Homes England has signed a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) to accelerate housing delivery and regeneration across the region. The agreement is intended to align local priorities with Homes England’s expertise, funding and resources, providing a stronger framework for collaboration on key projects.
The SPP formalises joint working already underway and is designed to unlock significant schemes that will shape the long-term growth of the region. One of the most prominent is York Central, a major city centre regeneration site that could provide up to 2,500 new homes alongside cultural, commercial and transport infrastructure. Other priority developments set to benefit from the agreement include Maltkiln and Elvington Garden Village.
The partnership will be supported by a shared business plan, ensuring that housing and regeneration objectives are closely aligned to local needs. Both organisations emphasise that the approach is not only about increasing supply but also about delivering homes that are affordable and suited to the character of York and North Yorkshire’s towns, cities and rural communities.
Homes England has now established nine Strategic Place Partnerships across England, reflecting a wider government drive to strengthen ties between national agencies and devolved local authorities. These partnerships are framed by the English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024, which committed to giving local leaders more powers and resources to shape development in their areas.
Pat Ritchie, Chair of Homes England, said the agreement demonstrates the agency’s determination to support regional growth through direct collaboration. She highlighted York Central as an example of how joint working with local partners such as Network Rail, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum can bring forward complex brownfield sites for redevelopment.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, pointed to the pressing need for action in a region facing a housing crisis, with high prices and over 10,000 households on waiting lists. He underlined the importance of building homes that allow residents to remain within their communities, whether in urban centres or rural settings, and said the new partnership would be central to delivering this ambition.
With government targets set at 1.5 million new homes this parliament, the partnership between Homes England and YNYCA is expected to provide a critical boost to delivery, combining national resources with local leadership to ensure homes are built in the right places and at the scale required.
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