Jan 11 2008
The Government today set out more details of the work of the Agency which will play a key role in delivering the 3m new homes by 2020 pledged by the Prime Minister - the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
The new Agency will, for the first time, bring together responsibility for land and for money to deliver new housing, community facilities and new infrastructure. The HCA will also work with local councils on some of England's 10 new eco towns.
The Agency will combine English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and delivery functions from Communities and Local Government to bring together expertise, resources and powers to transform the way we deliver homes and regenerate communities. It will give local authorities a clear strategic partner to work with on housing and regeneration delivery in their areas. It is expected to start work in April next year.
Housing Minister Yvette Cooper announced that the HCA will therefore have responsibility for regeneration programmes from English Partnerships and the provision of new affordable housing funded by social housing grant from the Housing Corporation. It will have operational responsibility for the delivery of major housing and regeneration projects such as the areas of major housing growth (such as Milton Keynes, Ashford and London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough), the Thames Gateway regeneration project, taking forward the Delivery Plan outlined last November, and the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders. The Government will retain responsibility for strategic and cross-Whitehall issues on these projects.
The Agency will also take on responsibility for the delivery of social sector decent homes (including Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs), Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVT) and Housing Private Finance Initiative (PFI)); PFI for new supply; mixed communities; capital investment on homelessness, hostels and specialist supported housing; the National Land-Use Database of Previously Developed Land; and the Academy for Sustainable Communities.
Yvette Cooper said: "The HCA, under the leadership of Sir Bob Kerslake, will be crucial in delivering the new homes and community infrastructure we have pledged and we desperately need - bringing together land, money and skills to build more homes and regenerate communities. This important new agency will be able to work closely with local councils to support them in their wide range of housing, regeneration and community work."