Homes England visit promotes strength of partnership work in hitting housing targets

Sheffield welcomed Homes England to the city so development partners could come together and see progress on the latest projects and discuss future opportunities.

Homes England Chief Executive Officer Peter Denton visited five sites across Sheffield alongside senior Sheffield City Council representatives and other development partners. The visit was arranged to see first-hand some of the developments that either have recently been completed or are ongoing and has been achieved by those multiple partners.

The visit was born from the ongoing work of the Sheffield Together Housing Growth Board, which is chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of Sheffield City Council and includes Homes England, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the Sheffield Property Association and the South Yorkshire Housing Partnership.

This partnership is key for the area in bringing housing experts together to find ways of hitting housing targets and making sure the demand for good quality, safe, affordable homes across Sheffield is met.

The group visited three different housing sites last Monday (16^th September) as well as the newly opened largest purpose-built food hall in Europe, Cambridge Street Collective – which has recently been crowned British Food Hall of the Year 2024 at the British Street Food Awards.

The trip culminated in a stay at Sheffield city centre’s latest hotel development at the Radisson Blu – part of the ongoing Heart of the City II development.

The first visit of the day was at the Capital & Centric-developed Eye Witness Works, the former cutlery factory in the city centre’s Devonshire Quarter.

Here, Sheffield City Council Chief Executive Kate Josephs joined Mr Denton and representatives of Homes England and Capital & Centric to tour the development of apartments and town houses and see some of the new properties available to rent for families and professionals in the city centre.

After a walk across Sheffield city centre which took in the Pound’s Park development, the visit stopped at Cambridge Street Collective to see the thriving food hall up and running that has recently been crowned British Food Hall of the Year 2024 at the British Street Food Awards.

WATCH: Homes England visit highlights the benefits of partnership working in hitting targets

From here, the next stop was the Together Housing development on Meadowsweet Close and Sorrel Way, just off Ferrars Road in Tinsley.

Here, Council leader, Cllr Tom Hunt, ward councillors, local MP Clive Betts and Homes England representatives were shown around the development by Together Housing Chief Executive Kevin Ruth and other members of the housing association to see how partnerships such as this can build affordable housing for those in Sheffield that need it.

Finally, Cllr Hunt and the Council’s Chair of the Housing Committee, Cllr Douglas Johnson, met the visit at the Citu-built Little Kelham affordable housing site off Alma Street in Kelham Island to see a range of new affordable homes being built in partnership with Great Places for city residents near to the city centre.

The visit was a chance to show how, together, partnerships can help regeneration and development projects deliver, increase the number of affordable homes and bring housing and economic growth opportunities to Sheffield.

Cllr Douglas Johnson, Chair of Sheffield City Council’s Housing Committee, said:

“The range of partners is really important because the truth is that no single body can produce the amount of new housing that we need in this country right now.

“We need councils, housing associations, Homes England and private developers to all contribute towards this bigger goal of good quality and imaginative housing for the future so that everyone can have a home they can afford.”

Kate Josephs, Sheffield City Council’s Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We’re really proud of the partnership work we’ve led through the Council, with Homes England, with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, with housing associations and the Sheffield Property Association.

“The Sheffield Together Housing Growth Board is all about delivering the homes we need in our city. Together with all our partners, we are pushing ahead to meet our housing targets and provide great new places for people to live in our city.”

Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said:

“Across the city we are working hard to increase the number of new homes in our city. Everyone should have a safe, secure and affordable place to call home. Good quality homes are fundamental for enabling everyone to live happy, healthy lives.

“It is great to see new housing developments being completed across our city. I am excited to see more homes being developed in the coming months and years ahead.”

Kevin Ruth, Chief Executive Officer of Together Housing, said:

“It was great to be part of Homes England’s tour of Sheffield and to meet so many people who are as passionate about driving support and investment into the city as we are at Together Housing.

“The growing need for affordable housing is affecting so many in the region, which is why we were thrilled to have Peter Denton and Sheffield City Council members visit our newest housing community in Sheffield to see first-hand the impact of investment. We welcome the prospect of more opportunities for developing communities in the region and hope to see the steps that are being taken to do so, continue.”

Sheffield City Council is in the midst of agreeing its new Housing Strategy for the next 10 years, which is in its draft stage having gone through two rounds of public consultation this year. The final Strategy is planned to be brought before the Council’s Strategy & Resources committee meeting this autumn for full approval and ratification.