Housing-led regeneration in the North highlighted in Parliament
16.07.25 4 min read
The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC), Homes for the North, and Muse hosted a parliamentary event which brought together parliamentarians, social housing providers and other stakeholders to discuss the need for housing-led regeneration in the North.
The NHC announced plans to launch an inquiry later in the year which will be supported by Homes for the North and Muse.
The inquiry will look into the role of housing-led regeneration in tackling the housing crisis, delivering growth, and building strong communities in the North of England.
It will also explore how the housing sector can go further in the future with regeneration to meet the needs of Northern communities. The North is disproportionally affected by low quality homes, with over one million non-decent homes in the region.
The role of regeneration in combatting these challenges has featured in recent Government policy announcements. This includes the outcome of the recent spending review, where the government announced a decade-long investment of £39 billion to deliver approximately 300,000 new social and affordable homes in England. The new Social and Affordable Homes programme will include flexibility for some of the funding to be used to support regeneration projects. It also comes after other significant initiatives aimed at accelerating housebuilding, such as the launch of the National Housing Bank.
Muse has joined as a partner in the inquiry to provide insight as a leading placemaker. We will draw on our extensive experience in the North, including work on Greenhaus – the largest collection of Passivhaus-certified, affordable homes in the North West, to help drive forward progress across Northern regions.
Work by the NHC and partners involved in the inquiry – which will be known as ‘Where Next for Housing Led Regeneration in the North’ – is set to be conducted across the North and in Westminster.
Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said
“Drawing on our decades of experience as placemakers, we’re looking forward to sharing our case studies, lessons, and learnings. With a growing focus also on promoting partnerships as a means to further transform communities, we are excited to offer an insight into how we have been working in partnership with the public and private sector, including through ECF, our partnership with L&G and Homes England, and our plans for the future through Habiko, with PIC and Homes England.”
Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive at Northern Housing Consortium, said:
“Our research has consistently shown that the North is disproportionally affected by low quality homes with over one million non-decent homes in the North. The problem is most acute in the private rented sector with 27 per cent of homes not meeting current Decent Homes Standards. We’ve also found that there are 126,000 social housing homes in the North reaching the end of their serviceable life. These issues must be addressed if we want to make sure everyone has access to a safe and warm home they can afford.
“The right foundations are in place for the North to hit the ground running. We’re leading the way with devolution, and housing partnerships are driving collaboration. Through our Inquiry, we want to work with parliamentarians, members, residents and other stakeholders to maximise the benefits of regeneration for communities in the North.”