Key Points
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Homes England and the National Housing Bank have entered into a Place Delivery Agreement (PDA), becoming the first of its kind in England.
- The agreement aims at increasing the pace of building housing units and promoting regeneration and economic development within the Liverpool City Region.
- The deal is estimated to contribute towards over 21,000 new houses in two big projects: 17,000 homes in North Liverpool and about 4,300 homes in Central Station Gateway scheme.
- The PDA was finalized on 1 October 2026 and published by the government on 2 October 2026.
- The agreement will last for the initial three years subject to the annual review; each of the partners may terminate it providing at least 90 days’ written notice.
- The partners plan to deliver about 16,000 social and affordable homes and council houses within the region over the coming decade 2026 – 2036.
- The agreement also involves £700 million indicative spend allocation for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme in the region.
- A Joint Delivery Unit will involve experts and employees of the Combined Authority, Homes England and the National Housing Bank.
Liverpool (Liverpool standard) October 08, 2026 — Liverpool City Region has signed England’s first Place Delivery Agreement with Homes England and the National Housing Bank, creating a new co-delivery framework intended to bring forward more than 21,000 homes and unlock major regeneration projects across Merseyside.
As reported by Estate Gazette, the deal is set to bring more than 21,000 homes to Liverpool through a partnership designed to accelerate housing delivery, regeneration and economic growth across the city region. The agreement is dated 1 October 2026 and was published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through GOV.UK on 2 October 2026.
The Place Delivery Agreement establishes a shared framework between the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), Homes England and the National Housing Bank (NHB). It moves the relationship beyond conventional collaboration towards “co-delivery”, aligning local leadership with national investment, expertise and delivery capacity.
The agreement covers the six local authority areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. According to the government document, the city region has a population of just over 1.6 million people and forms an interconnected economic and housing market area.
How Many Homes Could Be Delivered?
The largest element of the proposed housing programme is the North Liverpool regeneration area, centred on the proposed Liverpool North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation. The government says the area has the potential to deliver around 17,000 homes, alongside commercial development and the long-term transformation of Liverpool’s northern waterfront.
The second major priority is the Central Station Gateway programme, which covers 86 acres of Liverpool city centre. The scheme has the potential to deliver around 4,300 homes, as well as commercial space, public-realm improvements and improved connectivity between the city centre, Lime Street Station and the Knowledge Quarter.
Together, the two schemes account for more than 21,000 homes. The agreement also commits the partners to maintaining and enhancing the wider Liverpool City Region Housing Pipeline, which includes opportunities across all six boroughs.
As reported by Insider Media, the PDA is the first of its kind to be signed anywhere in England and is intended to focus national investment, capacity and expertise on the region’s housing, regeneration and growth ambitions.
What Does the Agreement Change?
The Place Delivery Agreement changes how Homes England and the National Housing Bank work with mayoral strategic authorities. Rather than operating separately, the organisations will align resources, expertise, investment and delivery activity behind shared local priorities.
A central feature is the creation of a Joint Delivery Unit (JDU). This will act as a single delivery structure, bringing together staff from the Combined Authority, Homes England and the National Housing Bank to support planning, regeneration, infrastructure, affordable housing, economics, development finance, legal services and market engagement.
The JDU will provide the Combined Authority with one route to access Homes England and National Housing Bank delivery tools, expertise, investment capability and powers. It will also coordinate work on programme management, opportunity identification, pipeline development, major-project delivery, investment coordination, risk management and performance monitoring.
The agreement states that Homes England and the National Housing Bank will commit dedicated staff to the unit. It also provides for specialist support in areas including large-scale planning applications, compulsory purchase, urban design, development finance, infrastructure, sustainability and net zero.
Affordable and Council Homes
A major objective of the agreement is to accelerate the delivery of social and affordable housing and council homes. The partners have committed to supporting the mayoral ambition of around 16,000 social and affordable homes and council homes across the Liverpool City Region between 2026 and 2036.
The agreement says the region has an indicative spend amount of £700 million through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP). The partners intend to maximise the impact of that funding and develop a Liverpool City Region council housing delivery plan.
Under the agreement, decisions on SAHP Continuous Market Engagement will be delegated to the regional SAHP team within agreed thresholds. The JDU will provide the governance forum for approval, with the aim of allowing investment decisions to be more locally led.
The Mayor and the Combined Authority will also receive greater visibility of affordable-housing pipeline data and will be involved in reviews and assessments affecting the region. The document says the Mayor and LCRCA will be included in decisions on further procurement rounds or extensions to Strategic Partnership allocations that affect Liverpool City Region.
Homes England will also support the Combined Authority in reviewing options for council-house delivery. The agreement identifies potential work on building remediation, bringing empty homes back into use and improving existing housing stock, including where this may reduce the use of temporary accommodation.
Investment and Regeneration Plans
The agreement recognises that major regeneration schemes often face barriers that cannot be overcome through grant funding alone. These include viability gaps, fragmented land ownership, infrastructure requirements, abnormal costs and capacity constraints.
To address this, the partners plan to create a connected investment ecosystem for housing and regeneration. They intend to develop a portfolio of financial transactions capable of attracting National Housing Bank investment and mobilising greater levels of private and institutional capital.
The National Housing Bank, launched by Homes England in 2026, is backed by up to £16 billion of debt, equity and guarantee products. According to the government, it is designed to unlock housing delivery, attract private capital and support the government’s target of delivering 1.5 million homes while generating a positive financial return for the Exchequer.
The agreement says the bank will actively seek opportunities to support the region’s local investment fund and the Mayor’s priorities through lending, equity or guarantee capacity. It will also help identify housing-led regeneration, infrastructure-enabled growth, mixed-use development and strategic land opportunities.
The Liverpool City Region allocation of the National Housing Accelerator Fund will operate alongside National Housing Bank investment. The government says the combined funding streams could create a flexible housing and regeneration investment platform for the region.
What Leaders Have Said
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram welcomed the agreement, saying Liverpool City Region was the first place in the country to sign a Place Delivery Agreement with Homes England and the National Housing Bank.
As reported by Insider Media, Mr Rotheram said: “This gives us a real opportunity to get more council and social homes built, get stalled schemes moving and make sure investment is focused where it can make the biggest difference.”
He added that the city region had “huge ambitions” for housing and regeneration, from the North Docks and Central Station Gateway to projects across its boroughs. Mr Rotheram said the agreement would allow the Combined Authority to work with Homes England and the National Housing Bank “as one team” to deliver them.
“For me, this is what devolution should be about: giving places more control and then getting on with the job,”
Mr Rotheram said.
Chair of Homes England Pat Ritchie CBE said successful places were built by empowering local leaders to drive change in their communities. She described the agreement as an important step in deepening the partnership with Liverpool City Region.
“By strengthening the link between local priorities and national investment, expertise, tools and powers we can re-wire the system to better support delivery and have a greater impact for the people and places we serve,”
Ms Ritchie said.
She added that Homes England looked forward to expanding the approach with mayors across England in the months ahead.
Governance and Review
The Place Delivery Agreement will initially run for three years, subject to annual review. It may continue for further agreed periods, although any party can terminate it by giving at least 90 days’ prior written notice.
Governance arrangements include direct reporting to the Mayor, a shared performance framework and oversight involving the Mayor, the chairs of Homes England and the National Housing Bank, and the chief executives of both organisations. Quarterly senior sponsor meetings will monitor delivery, resolve barriers and assess progress against agreed outcomes.
Day-to-day responsibility for Homes England and National Housing Bank delivery under the agreement will be delegated to Homes England’s executive director for the North West. Nominated co-directors from the Combined Authority and Homes England will lead the Joint Delivery Unit.
Following approval of the PDA, the partners will prepare a detailed Delivery Plan. This will set out milestones, funding requirements, resource commitments, risks, performance measures and reporting arrangements.
Background of the Development
The agreement builds on the Strategic Place Partnership agreed between the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Homes England in October 2024. That earlier partnership supported investment in Central Docks, an early phase of the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation, Borough Yard Urban Village in Wirral and town-centre locations including Huyton in Knowsley.
According to the government, the previous partnership helped unlock more than £220 million of investment, 2,043 affordable homes and capacity to deliver more than 3,400 homes. It also helped secure a £380 million Strategic Partnership allocation to deliver more than 3,100 social and affordable homes.
The new PDA is presented as the next stage of that relationship. It is intended to give local leaders greater influence over housing investment and regeneration priorities while drawing on national funding and technical capability.
The Liverpool City Region Growth Plan 2025 to 2035 underpins the agreement. It aims to add more than £10 billion of gross value added to the regional economy and create tens of thousands of jobs, with growth focused on health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, digital and technology, creative industries, maritime and clean energy.
Prediction: What It Means for Residents
For residents across Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral and Halton, the agreement could lead to more visible activity on major regeneration sites, particularly in North Liverpool and around Central Station. If the proposed schemes progress, the main practical effects are likely to include new housing supply, construction employment, improved public space and transport-related investment.
The strongest immediate impact may be felt by households seeking social or affordable housing. The agreement specifically targets around 16,000 social and affordable homes and council homes between 2026 and 2036, while seeking to make greater use of the region’s £700 million SAHP allocation.
For local businesses, developers and construction workers, the Joint Delivery Unit could reduce the time taken to resolve planning, land-assembly, infrastructure and finance issues. The agreement also highlights industrialised construction, skills development and supply-chain opportunities, which may create work for local manufacturers, colleges and training providers.
