Councils looking to build more homes yet who lack the in-house expertise shouldn’t back away from linking up with developers, according to Sheffield Housing director John Clephan.
Formed in 2011, Sheffield Housing is a venture between the city’s council, housebuilder Keepmoat and housing association Great Places Housing Group and plans to build 2,000 homes over a 15 year period.
Clephan, formerly head of the council’s renegeration team, told Housing Today the company aimed to build quality homes in areas which need them to act as a catalyst for “wider change”.
Read: “This is about using quality, desirable new housing to be a catalyst for wider change in the area” - Interview with Sheffield Housing’s Jon Clephan
While some councils, such as Croydon, opt for wholly-owned companies to develop housing, Clephan said Sheffield went down the partnership route because while it lacked the in-house expertise “it did have land and it had vision”.
Partnership was a good option because it keeps political issues at arm’s length, “and it’s resilient because there’s a legal partnership that has to stay the course”, he added.
Sheffield Housing has built nearly 700 homes to date, including the Birchlands development (pictured), most of which are mainly for private sale, with a number of affordable units being sold to Great Places Housing.
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