Liverpool mayor sets out £2bn plan to unlock 64,000 homes
Liverpool mayor sets out £2bn plan to unlock 64,000 homes
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram has unveiled plans to deliver more than 64,000 new homes, backed by a potential £2bn call on public funding to unlock complex and stalled sites.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has identified a pipeline of more than 300 housing projects capable of delivering 64,044 homes, including almost 31,300 in Liverpool alone.
The proposals sit alongside a recently announced £700m allocation for new social and affordable housing — described as the single largest investment in house building ever made in the City Region.
Members of the Combined Authority will be asked later this month to formally endorse the housing pipeline and approve the next stage of work to bring sites forward for delivery, coordinated with transport, regeneration and economic investment.
Approval would also pave the way for the creation of a new Housing Investment Fund and the establishment of a Mayoral Development Corporation, initially focused on Liverpool’s North Docks.
As part of the next phase, the Combined Authority will engage directly with the market to accelerate delivery and improve visibility of live schemes, with a developer and contractor engagement event scheduled for 5 February to launch a new Liverpool City Region Developer Network.
An initial assessment shows 139 schemes in the pipeline require around £1bn of public support to proceed, with the full 310-site programme potentially needing close to £2bn due to ongoing viability challenges.
Breakdown of pipeline
Halton: 71 sites; 9,930 units
Knowsley: 31 sites; 2,999 units
Liverpool: 71 sites; 31,264 units
Sefton: 48 sites; 7,723 units
St Helens: 45 sites; 5,602 units
Wirral: 44 sites; 6,526 units
Total: 310 sites; 64,044 units
Rising construction costs, higher borrowing rates and tightening regulatory requirements mean many urban schemes are currently worth less on completion than the cost to build, increasing reliance on public sector intervention.
Rotheram said the plan was about “unlocking difficult sites, getting spades in the ground and building the homes our communities actually need”, adding that local decision-making could accelerate delivery and attract private investment.
Homes England said it was working with the Combined Authority to remove development barriers and prioritise sites that support sustainable growth.
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