West Midlands

At the heart of England, the West Midlands is a region of enormous diversity, with significant opportunities for housing growth and regeneration.

The HCA in the West Midlands works closely with local authorities, Advantage West Midlands, housing associations, developers, other governmental agencies and voluntary sector organisations to deliver sustainable communities by investing in high quality housing, regeneration and infrastructure.

By supporting the creation of new and affordable homes, the renewal of run down estates and the development of new places, we aim to improve the quality of life for the people of the region.

Our key drivers

The West Midlands we are driven by:

The need for additional housing and affordable homes to meet the ambitions of our local authority partners and local communities
A commitment to champion high quality and sustainability
A focus on place-making, and to develop the link between housing investment and communities, jobs, health and education
Assisting the region to weather the economic climate by supporting the maximum employment impact through our investments

Our priorities

To deliver the government’s targets for housing and increase the provision of new affordable homes, including provision in rural areas
To be flexible with resources and help unblock key schemes that have stalled in the current market
To align resources with those of other public and private sector organisations to support growth, place-making and housing renewal
To create innovative ways to increase investment in priority areas, by working in partnership with local and regional stakeholders
To develop agreed local investment plans with local authorities through the Single Conversation approach

Housing Pledge

As part of the Prime Minister’s Building Britain’s Future pledge, the Housing Pledge allocated an additional £1.5bn investment into housing to be delivered by the HCA, broken down into four key areas:

Up to £750m for National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP)
Up to £900m ‘Kickstart’ funding unblock regeneration schemes
Up to £350m for direct development by local authorities
A public sector land programme

The first round of Kickstart funding has now been approved, with 35 schemes in the West Midlands shortlisted that could receive support over the coming months.

Our activities

Our current activities in the West Midlands include:

The Rural Affordable Housing Programme: addressing the unique issues of rural affordability and its link to rural economic prosperity, the HCA is prioritising affordable housing investment in small villages, in partnership with local authorities and their local development partners
City Waterside, Stoke: we are supporting the full scale regeneration of largely disused former industrial land around the Caldon canal area, to create a vibrant new community that is reconnecting the area to the city centre
East Birmingham Growth: the HCA is appointed lead delivery partner with Birmingham City Council to deliver the short, medium and long term growth ambitions and holistic regeneration of this area of the city
North Solihull: with the North Solihull Regeneration Partnership we are developing a sustainable mixed community with 8,000 new homes, 10 primary schools and a programme that will address health and employment inequalities in an area where around 40,000 people live
North Coventry Regeneration: the HCA is agreeing intervention strategies with local partners to help create a start on site for this comprehensive regeneration project, that will eventually deliver some 3,300 new homes over the next 12-15 years, transforming the physical and social landscape and creating a new mixed-income community
Ironstone, Lawley, Telford: Ironstone is becoming a sustainable community of 3,300 homes, integrated with the existing town. Local people have been involved in the scheme since day one to ensure that it meets their needs and aspirations

Regional Housing Action Plan 2009

West Midlands This document sets the scene, identifying the regional strategies and priorities within which we are operating and outlining our key areas of investment.

The HCA in the West Midlands: Regional Housing Action Plan 2009 - 2011 - PDF (617 KB)

Regional investment statement data

The National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP) funding is allocated through a process of continuous market engagement. Our quarterly regional investment statements set out the proportion of this funding that has been allocated for each region.

Contact details

Paul Spooner
Regional Director – West Midlands
paul.spooner@hca.gsx.gov.uk

Birmingham office
5 St Philip’s Place
Colmore Row
Birmingham
B3 2PW

0300 1234 500

Looking for the West Midlands office locations? You can find them on the HCA office page.

Last updated: 11 March 2010