Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority has signed a long-term regeneration partnership with Homes England to coordinate housing sites, infrastructure decisions and investment across the region.
Mayor Luke Campbell and Homes England chair Pat Ritchie signed the Strategic Place Partnership at Hull Guildhall on 9 October, bringing the combined authority, Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council together with the government’s housing and regeneration agency.
The agreement establishes a framework for joint working. It is not planning permission for a new housing development, confirmation that construction has begun or an announcement that funding for every project has been secured.
The partners intend to create a coordinated pipeline of priority sites and a shared business plan, involving Homes England’s specialist experience earlier in the development process. The aim is to address the practical barriers that can prevent projects proceeding even when land and a policy ambition already exist.
Those barriers can include the cost of infrastructure, the condition and ownership of sites, commercial viability and access to investment. Housing schemes also depend on transport links, services, employment opportunities and the ability of local authorities to plan development alongside wider community needs.
One prominent opportunity is East Bank Urban Village in Hull, where largely vacant brownfield land beside the River Hull is intended to become a mixed-use waterfront neighbourhood. Current plans envisage up to 850 homes, commercial space, green areas and improved walking and cycling connections.
Construction of the first phase is expected to begin in 2027. That is a projected timetable for an existing scheme, not evidence that work started when the partnership was signed. Hull City Council had already identified the English Cities Fund as the development partner for East Bank in 2025.
The established relationship with the developer is relevant because the new strategic partnership builds on projects already being advanced, rather than creating all the underlying proposals from scratch. The scope of any new public investment or project-specific agreements will need to be defined through subsequent decisions.
Elsewhere, Homes England is working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council on proposals for Easton Road in Bridlington and the redevelopment of Alamein Barracks in Driffield. The agency is also supporting plans for around 1,800 homes at Howden.
These are distinct proposed developments at different stages. The figures for East Bank and Howden describe planned housing capacity, not completed homes, secured annual delivery or guaranteed starts under the October agreement.
The new partnership forms part of the combined authority’s wider Local Growth Plan, which links housing and regeneration with jobs, transport, infrastructure and business investment. It seeks to establish priorities across administrative boundaries rather than allow individual sites to develop without reference to the region’s wider economy.
Commercially viable regeneration can depend on multiple parties taking decisions in sequence. A developer may be willing to build homes but unable to carry the full cost of utility connections, remediation or transport improvements before sales income is available.
Brownfield sites can present additional complexity through demolition, existing structures, uncertain ground conditions and earlier industrial uses. Their location close to employment and public transport may provide long-term benefits, although the initial cost and construction risks can be greater than on uncomplicated land.
Coordinating land, infrastructure and financing at an earlier stage could help public authorities and developers establish which projects are deliverable and which require further work. However, the existence of a joint pipeline does not remove the need for planning decisions, detailed financial assessments or private-sector investment.
Homes England describes Strategic Place Partnerships as a way to align local priorities with its tools, expertise and access to investment. The longer-term ambition is for participating regions to be well placed to pursue a Place Delivery Agreement, potentially bringing in additional capabilities associated with the National Housing Bank.
That subsequent agreement has not been signed for Hull and East Yorkshire. It is a possible development of the relationship, not a financing decision already made.
The arrangement also reflects the responsibilities of the elected mayor and the two councils. Strategic coordination sits with the combined authority, while local planning and development decisions continue to involve the relevant councils and other statutory bodies.
For investors and property businesses, a clearer programme of priorities can provide information about the places local authorities want to develop and the infrastructure likely to be required. Project returns will still depend on construction costs, housing demand, funding availability and the terms of individual agreements.
The signing establishes an enduring mechanism for joint decisions on housing and regeneration. Its success will be measured through sites reaching construction, investment being secured and new homes and commercial premises actually delivered, rather than through the agreement itself.
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