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A raft of building firms have won places on a government framework to build homes on public land, in a move that could see a widespread shift of contractors into the housing sector.

The Homes and Communities Agency today confirmed that contractors including Wates, Laing O’Rourke, Seddon, Leadbitter, Skanska, Bouygues, Kier, Carillion, and Mace had won places alongside traditional house builders to construct new homes as part of its 'delivery partner panel'.

Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Crest Nicholson and Countryside Properties are among housebuilders to also sit on the panel, as well as mixed use developers such as Lend Lease.

The panel has been set up to procure homes for the Public Land Initiative, a pilot project that involves 1,250 homes being built on land owned by the HCA.

Once the concept is proved it is expected that councils and other public land owners will be able to use the framework to quickly procure partners to build homes.

The HCA expects partners to share the development and sales risks and returns with the public sector, in exchamge for access to public land.

The framework is split into three regions – northern, central and southern – and public agencies will have to sign up to a letter of agreement with the HCA and a separate framework contract to use the panel of builders.

Eamonn Boylan, director of new ventures and partnerships at the HCA, said the panel will help speed up the procurement process for public sector agencies.

He said: “This panel supports our aim of encouraging new entrants into the housing market.

"Several construction firms have been successful, many bringing with them experience of the planning system and of partnerships with the public sector through ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø Schools for the Future and the health sector's LIFT programme, for example."