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The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) will bring forward enough public land by March 2015 to support delivery of over 2,000 more homes than originally anticipated, according to new figures published today.
The Agency's Land Development and Disposal Plan (LDDP) sets out how the HCA will use its experience of managing large portfolios of land and assets to potentially bring a potential over 200 sites to market between now and 31 March 2015, of which around 480 hectares (ha) is for residential and around 900 ha is for commercial and other uses. Sites in the LDDP will build on the housing capacity of those already disposed, bringing the HCA's contribution to government's commitment to dispose of enough land with capacity for 100,000 homes, to 16,209; up from 14,000 in the last LDDP published in June.
The LDDP also includes for the first time details of sites newly acquired from central government departments and their bodies, including the Department of Health, the Ministry of Justice and the British Rail Residuary Board. The 19 newly acquired sites alone have capacity to support over 2,000 new homes, subject to planning. A second tranche of acquisitions – predominantly NHS sites – which could have capacity to support up to 800 further new homes, will be announced in due course and it is likely that the HCA's housing capacity target will increase further as these sites are acquired.
HCA Chief Executive, Andy Rose, said: "There are already nearly 70 sites being marketed on our website, and today we have set out a further indicative pipeline that will give our partners development opportunities right up to the end of the spending period.
"We are the third largest contributor of land supply in government and this is core business for the HCA, building on our commercial expertise, experience of managing large portfolios of land and investment, and local knowledge.
"As set out in the Spending Round outcome, from April 2015 the HCA will take on a role as the disposal body of choice for central government in bringing public land to market which will help improve the efficiency of government land transactions with the private sector."
(CD/JP)
