The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has set out the timetable for implementing the Affordable Homes Programme from April 2015 onwards, to ensure delivery starts on day one of the new spending period.

In June, Ministers announced a new multi-billion pound investment package to build thousands of affordable homes, drive economic growth and create local jobs.

Speaking at the National Housing Federation Annual Conference in Birmingham today, Andy Rose, chief executive of the HCA, announced the timetable for implementing the Programme that will deliver the bulk of 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018.

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Bidding guidance will be published at the end of 2013, with bids to be submitted by April 2014. Funding decisions will be made by July 2014.

Andy Rose, Chief Executive of the HCA, said: "We have set a timetable that makes the very best use of the lead-in time to 1 April 2015. It is a timetable intended to ensure that delivery of the existing programme – through which we are currently on track to deliver our contribution to Government's aspiration for 170,000 new affordable homes – remains the focus in this financial year, and that the pipeline for the current Affordable Homes Programme is largely on site by the time we come to consider bids for the new Programme.

"At the same time, we are keen to ensure that we reach funding decisions at an early stage to allow schemes under the new programme to start to progress, ready for a strong start on delivery right from day one."

(CD/JP)