黑洞社区

The Homes and Communities Agency has announced plan to give contractors the chance to build an initial 500 homes on public land in exchange for an equity share in any development.

The announcement comes as part of a 拢1.5bn tranche of funding for social housing announced yesterday as part of Gordon Brown鈥檚 policy re-launch, 黑洞社区 Britain鈥檚 Future.

Bob Kerslake, HCA chief executive, said contractors including Bouygues, Skanska and Wates could take part. He said: 鈥淭he model is where we go in as an equity partner and put land in as part of the equity.鈥� The land could be that owned by the HCA or owned by other public sector bodies.

鈥淲e are looking for a development partner to take a lower level of risk because they are not funding the land upfront but we want them to take a lower rate of return.

鈥淎 number have said in the current market: 鈥榳e definitely settle for a situation with less working capital tied up and working in joint partnership with you, but have more security albeit at a lower rate of return.鈥欌��

Kerslake added: 鈥淵ou know the sorts of companies that I am talking about 鈥� the Bouygues, the Skanskas and the Wates.鈥�

He added: 鈥淧ublic sector landowners of all kinds have expressed interest and the HCA has major land ownings of its own to contribute that will ensure we make rapid progress.鈥�

The HCA will hold workshops with interested parties 鈥渢his side of the summer,鈥� said Kerslake.

The money, which includes 拢750m for the National Affordable Housing Programme, 拢500m more for Kickstart schemes and 拢250m more for new local authority-led council homes, is to come from a mix of redirected communities department funding and cash from 鈥渃apital underspend鈥� in other departments during this and next year.