Region’s ambitious target to build 215,000 new homes remains on track

The West Midlands remains on track to achieve its ambitious target of building 215,000 new homes by 2031 to help meet future housing and economic needs and provide local people with good quality but affordable housing.

Latest Government figures show that in the 12 months to March 2023 the number of new homes built in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area was 15,690.

This was despite a challenging year for the housing industry which faced a backdrop of high inflation with rising costs for construction materials and mortgages and a dip in market confidence.

Although the number of homes built was down on the previous year’s 17,276, which followed a strong post-pandemic bounce back, they follow several years in which the West Midlands has exceeded the 15,257 new homes it needs to build annually to stay on course to hit the 215,000 target.

Thousands of the homes built over recent years are a direct result of a ‘brownfield first’ approach by the WMCA which continued to invest tens of millions of pounds throughout the pandemic to unlock more derelict urban sites for new homes and commercial premises.

Since signing a landmark housing deal with Government in 2018, WMCA investments alone have unlocked more than 8,000 new homes, 12,000 new jobs and 3.8 million sq ft of commercial floorspace.

One resident who has benefitted from the WMCA’s housing investments is Mukarram Janhanzaib (pictured), a driving instructor in his 60s. After 20 years of renting, Mr Janhanzaib had found it "impossible" to secure a standard 25-year mortgage.

Now, he is the proud owner of one of 120 affordable homes that have been built on the site of the former Caparo steel works in Walsall thanks to a £4m investment by the WMCA.

The ‘Lockside’ development is the first for joint venture developer Anthem Lovell LLP - a partnership between house builder Lovell Homes and Anthem Homes, a subsidiary of the whg housing association.

Mr Janhanzaib, a father of three, was able to buy 40% of his home through a shared ownership scheme and slash his monthly housing outgoings by around two thirds.

"I’m really happy to move in, it’s a dream come true,” he said. “When they gave me the keys it was very emotional. I now have a very nice, good quality home for my grown-up children to come round and visit.

“Before I moved in last November, I was paying around £950 a month in private rent. Now I’m paying just £246. That is a massive help to me and I no longer feel under pressure to work long hours just to cover my outgoings.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “These latest figures are good news for local people like Mr Janhanzaib - helping them access high quality, affordable and energy efficient homes.

"I'm heartened to see that - despite the inflationary and other pressures facing the house building industry - we've instilled much needed market confidence and continued to get homes built. 

“Throughout the pandemic, we kept projects moving forward and regenerated more brownfield sites. We have a house building record here in the West Midlands that is leading the way in the UK and changing the lives of residents for the better right across our region. That mission must and will continue in the months and years ahead."

The latest net additional figures released by government reflect the region’s reputation as a national leader in brownfield regeneration, using the £600m and more it has secured from government since 2018 to unlock wider benefits and outcomes for the whole West Midlands.

Pictured: Mukarram Janhanzaib outside his new home on the Lockside development in Walsall