Renew sets out opportunity to unlock homes across the North
10.06.26 4 min read
A new report from the Northern Housing Consortium’s Renew inquiry has set out how housing-led regeneration could help unlock more than 500,000 good quality homes across the North of England.
Read the full report and executive summary here
Launched in Parliament, ‘Unlocking over 500,000 good quality homes in the North’ highlights the role regeneration can play in bringing brownfield land back into use, supporting town and city centres, improving existing homes and creating stronger communities.
Renew is led by the Northern Housing Consortium and supported by Homes for the North and Muse. The inquiry explores how housing-led regeneration can support growth, help tackle the housing crisis and create thriving communities across the North.
The report is based on evidence from organisations responsible for around 1 million of the North’s 1.4 million social homes, alongside insight from more than 160 regeneration schemes.
Highlighting potential
It highlights the potential to revive town and city centres with more than 100,000 new homes, unlock 320,000 homes on brownfield land, and renew or replace 100,000 social homes in need of regeneration.
It also points to the barriers that can stop regeneration moving forward, from viability gaps and lower land values to high remediation costs, capacity pressures and the need for long-term, flexible funding.
The report calls for greater support to help local leaders, housing providers and delivery partners unlock regeneration at scale. Its recommendations include long-term devolved regeneration funding, a Minister for Regeneration, a National Centre for Regeneration based in the North, and stronger standards and rights for residents involved in regeneration.
Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said:
“We’re pleased to have supported this important new report published by the Northern Housing Consortium’s Renew inquiry.
“Across many towns and cities, brownfield sites are at the heart of regeneration ambitions, bringing disused and underutilised sites back into productive use. However, the financial viability gap remains a major obstacle.
“Without the right policy framework and investment, many otherwise deliverable projects will struggle to come forward. The recommendations in this report are an important step towards creating the certainty, funding and local capacity needed to unlock regeneration at scale.
“At Muse, we know from our work across the North that long-term partnership is critical to making complex regeneration happen. If we are serious about delivering more homes and creating successful places, we need to give local leaders and delivery partners the tools to turn ambition into reality.”
Sharing our experience
We are supporting Renew as part of our wider commitment to long-term regeneration across the North.
Working with local authorities, combined authorities, Homes England and other partners, we are helping to bring forward new homes, public spaces, workspaces and town centre neighbourhoods in places where regeneration can support local growth.
The Renew report also includes examples of partnership-led regeneration, including Bradford City Village and Salford Central, both being delivered through ECF, our partnership with Homes England and Legal & General.
In Bradford, ECF is working with Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to transform the former retail heart of the city centre into a new neighbourhood. In Salford, ECF has worked with Salford City Council to regenerate more than 50 acres of underused land, delivering new homes, workspace and public realm.
Salford Central
Next steps
Over the summer, Renew will continue its work through a series of visits to regeneration sites across the North, looking at completed schemes, projects in progress and places where clear regeneration need remains, but delivery has not yet come forward.
The next phase of the inquiry will also explore the role of tenant and resident engagement in shaping successful regeneration.