Homes England has published a significant pipeline of major works worth over £200 million, marking the first such release under the new Labour government.
The pipeline, detailing all planned projects for the next 18 months, covers 14 key projects, with some set to begin as early as November 2024.
The pipeline is a strategic move designed to alert the construction industry to upcoming contracts and help businesses prepare their workforces and procurement teams.
It lists £210.2 million worth of projects, with the largest job being a £52 million development of phases 3a and 3b of Northstowe, a new town in South Cambridgeshire.
Plans will deliver 5,000 new homes and three primary schools, part of a long-term plan for Northstowe that began in 2020. Homes England has already provided key infrastructure for the town, including roads, public transport routes, and cycleways.
A tender for the Northstowe build project is expected in December, with the contract due to be awarded in June 2025. The development is set to take 44 months to complete.
In addition, Homes England plans to release a £27.6 million tender in January 2025 for further highways and infrastructure work in Northstowe, expected to last 27 months. A smaller £5 million road development contract will also be tendered next year for the same location.
The second-largest contract in the pipeline is a £30 million framework for development monitoring and management services of Homes England properties. This framework is due to go out for tender in October, with contracts expected to be awarded in May 2025.
Another significant project is a £27 million contract for phase one of the Burtree Garden Village development near Darlington.
The 18-month project will include constructing an access roundabout, spine road, and secondary roads for the new town. Burtree Garden Village is a major initiative for Homes England, which has already invested £43 million in the project.
Once complete, the town will feature 2,000 new homes and 200,000 square meters of employment space across 307 acres. The contract for this project is expected to be awarded in December 2024.
Additional projects in the pipeline include a £15 million plan for a new primary school in Brookleigh, Sussex, as well as a £5 million contract for early planting works and the creation of an offsite mobility corridor in the same town.
The pipeline comes amid a period of renewed optimism for the UK’s housebuilding sector, following major policy changes announced by the Labour government.
Soon after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took office, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans to reinstate local housing targets—a move welcomed by housebuilders. This initiative aligns with Labour’s manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years.
The government is also consulting on proposed changes to planning laws, which include freeing up “greybelt” land—previously developed areas within the greenbelt—for new home construction.
These changes are intended to accelerate the development of much-needed housing, in line with the government’s ambitious homebuilding targets.
