Labour candidate for Plymouth Moor View visits Plymouth Community Homes’ North Prospect regeneration with Homes for the South West
On Friday 31st May, Homes for the South West representative and Plymouth Community Homes’ Chief Executive Jonathan Cowie, alongside Head of Development Andrew Lawrie, welcomed Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Moor View, Fred Thomas, on a tour of North Prospect, the largest regeneration project of its kind in the South West.
Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) has been working closely with Plymouth City Council (PCC) and Homes England on this pivotal, five-phase programme, which has delivered 1,107 new comfortable, energy-efficient homes and restored a further 277.
Aerial view of Plymouth Community Homes’ North Prospect regeneration project
Homes for the South West welcomes candidates of all parties to visit sites such as North Prospect and see the crucial work our members undertake to deliver much-needed new homes and regeneration projects across the region.
Our manifesto, ‘Building the Affordable Homes the South West needs’, sets out the steps the next government must take to inject economic confidence, help the region thrive and make sure people have the homes they need. Homes for the South West members own more than 250,000 homes, house half a million people and make an annual contribution of £1bn to the local economy.
During the visit, Fred considered the issues impacting housing in Plymouth Moor View, and why it’s crucial to support local people with more affordable housing. The group discussed the Homes for the South West manifesto, alongside Plymouth Community Homes’ development work and ambitions, and the need for Homes England grant funding to support the delivery of new homes in the region.
Jonathan highlighted to Fred the importance of housing associations in the South West working with the Government. He emphasised that delivering on a key Homes for the South West manifesto point is crucial for enabling housing associations to build the affordable homes the region needs. The manifesto recommends reviewing the current public land disposal strategy and setting a new threshold to ensure that 50% of public land sold is used to deliver affordable housing.
Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Moor View, Fred Thomas (centre), Plymouth Community Homes’ Chief Executive, Jonathan Cowie (right) and Head of Development, Andrew Lawrie.
Homes for the South West Chair, Louise Swain, commented: “North Prospect was made possible thanks to £27m of grant funding from Homes England. The funding was key to the delivery of high quality affordable homes and has helped to revitalise the local community. Many of our Homes for the South West members have similar schemes across the region, so access to ongoing grant funding will be critical to support vital regeneration projects such as North Prospect.”
Jonathan said: “The regeneration of North Prospect has transformed this area of Plymouth, providing modern, comfortable, energy-efficient homes for thousands of local people and helping to reduce crime in the neighbourhood. We welcomed the opportunity to showcase the positive results to the Labour candidate, as well as to open discussions about the vital importance of securing Government funding to support future home development in Plymouth to help meet local housing need.”
