Sites in Telford, London and Birmingham were today announced as the next three to be developed under the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) Public Land Initiative (PLI).

Over 450 new and affordable homes will be delivered through part of one scheme owned by the HCA, one owned by Paddington Churches Housing Association and another owned by Birmingham City Council.

The sites being announced today are:

• 'The Croppings Parcel A', Lightmoor Urban Village, Telford - 100 homes are planned for this HCA-owned site, of which 30 will be affordable. Outline planning permission is secured and infrastructure work is expected to start this Summer.
• Mildmay Regeneration project, Tower Hamlets, London - 139 homes are planned for this site owned by Paddington Churches Housing Association, of which 49 will be affordable. Subject to planning permission, work is expected to start this Summer.
• Birmingham PLI cluster - 230 homes are planned on six sites owned by Birmingham City Council, of which 80 will be affordable. Subject to planning permission, work is expected to start in early Autumn.

Trevor Beattie, Director of Strategy, Policy, Performance and Research at the HCA said: "These three sites bring the total to be delivered through this programme so far to over 900 urgently needed new and affordable homes. It is just nine months since this initiative was launched. To have achieved so much in such a short space of time proves the potential of publicly owned land to stimulate housing supply. Our delivery partner panel will have the opportunity to progress these sites in the next few weeks, work will start in the summer and the first residents will be able to move in within a year."


Partners will be selected from the HCA's Delivery Partner Panel and the sites will be briefed to the standards set for the Public land Initiative that include the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, Building for Life and minimum space and functionality requirements. The land will be disposed of through an agreement based upon a joint venture model, that will take account of the value of the land invested, shared risk and returns, and available grant for social housing.

(CD/GK)