Thousands of new homes and jobs in three key cities

A new multi-million pound deal to boost housing in key cities will provide more than 2,000 homes for private rent and create thousands of jobs, Housing Minister Gavin Barwell has announced.

This latest private rent deal will unlock £400 million of development, under the government’s programme to increase investment in purpose built rental properties, and will grow the amount of good quality rental homes in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

The project is one of the largest private rental sector investments in the UK and will receive £45 million funding from the government’s new Home Building Fund ─ which makes money available to help kick-start new development and housebuilding.

Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell said: "Alongside home ownership, we’re determined to create a bigger, better private rental market to offer greater choice for tenants in a country that works for everyone.

"This is one of the largest private rental sector deals in the UK and will not only create thousands of homes for people in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester - it will create jobs and opportunities for many hundreds of people."

Sir Edward Lister, HCA Chairman, said: "This massive investment, one of the largest private rented deals this year, shows our determination to get builders building and substantially grow the market in this country.

"We’re working on a number of other deals, with builders of all sizes, and we’re also using our investment and land to attract new entrants to the industry."

Founder and chairman of the Dandara Group, Dan Tynan said: "Dandara has already built more than 2,500 properties of this type in the last 10 years in the UK, including Scotland’s largest private rented sector (PRS) scheme of almost 300 properties in Aberdeen, acquired by LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of a large pension fund.

"We are now in a position to actively work with institutions, and independently, to make a sizeable contribution to this market."

Dandara Group is spearheading the project with support from the government’s housing delivery agency, the Homes and Communities Agency, and banking giant HSBC.

The government is determined to provide opportunities in all parts of the country and this deal will provide a boost for many businesses across the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine.

It is estimated that up to 1,500 new construction jobs could be created across the 3 cities from the deal which will provide 2,062 rental homes. These will include:

• 995 homes in Manchester
• 744 homes in Leeds
• 323 homes in Birmingham.

Last week’s Autumn Statement outlined £7.2 billion of investment in housing. This means that the government now expects to double, in real terms, annual capital spending on housing over the course of this Parliament.

The government set out comprehensive housing measures that will address the needs of people at different stages of their lives, ensuring the housing market works for everyone, not just the privileged few.