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Housing
We are committed to ensuring that our city region provides quality homes and communities for the people who need them.
Quality housing for all
We want to ensure that we are making the most of everything that our City Region has to offer, from the vibrant city centre, to the scenic surrounding areas. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the quality of the homes we live in for our wellbeing and quality of life. We have many attractive neighbourhoods with a high quality housing offer. But we recognise that we also have a number of neighbourhoods with a lack of housing quality and choice. We also recognise that too many of our citizens have difficulty accessing homes that they need.
We want to ensure that our homes are well designed, are energy efficient and can meet a wide range of housing needs, including those of our more vulnerable groups.
We have already appointed a Liverpool City Region Design Champion, to kick start a conversation about the importance of design throughout the city region – making it one of the best places to live in the world.
But this isn’t just about new homes, we need to make sure the homes already built are made as energy efficient as possible and can make a contribution to improving the City Region’s housing offer.
We are working with our partners in our local authorities, housing associations, developers and our communities to ensure that the City Region’s housing offer supports our economic growth aspirations (including recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic); that our housing is of good quality – whether rented or owned; and that the housing needs of our more vulnerable residents are met.
Brownfield Land Fund
In July 2020, the Liverpool City Region was allocated £45m from the Government’s Brownfield Land Fund to deliver previously-developed, or brownfield, land suitable for at least 3,000 and preferably 4,000 homes. The money will be used for site remediation and other measures required to make sites ready for development.
Since then, the Combined Authority has supported seven projects across the Liverpool City Region with more than £11m invested to deliver 886 homes.
Brownfield First
A brownfield site is identified as a piece of land which has previously had some industrial or commercial use. For example, they may have previously been used as factory buildings which are no longer in use. Prioritising building new homes on sites like this, allows us to maintain as many of our existing green spaces as possible, repurposing the land already available to us and also support existing communities where brownfield land is often situated.
To help identify these sustainable urban housing sites we have established the Liverpool City Region Brownfield Land Register – on which we currently have around 800 sites across the City Region, which could accommodate in excess of 42,000 new homes. This work is supporting our discussions with Homes England to secure additional funding to build even more high-quality, sustainable homes.
Housing Energy Efficiency - Retrofit
Retrofit is the process of making changes to an existing home to improve its energy performance, through adding measures such as insulation to the property, or by installing a low-carbon heating system. The aims are to save energy, keep homes warmer, cut carbon emissions and ease fuel costs. Find out more about Housing Energy Efficiency and available funding below
Home Upgrade Grant 2 (HUG2)
Solar Together
Solar Together is a collective purchasing scheme for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and batteries. It is delivered in partnership with iChoosr who administer a reverse auction to achieve the best value for homeowners in the ‘able to pay’ or ‘self-funded’ market.
The first round of LCR Solar Together concluded in June 2023 with the three successful contractors delivering installations to 586 homes.The second round of Solar Together began in September 2023 and will conclude in June 2024. iChoosr awarded the delivery contract to Solar Bureau.
Please see case studies for stories and examples of installation.
Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1
The Combined Authority obtained grant funding from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to deliver SHDF Wave 2.1. Delivery commenced in 2023 and will conclude March 2025. The Combined Authority has led a consortium of 14 Registered Providers of Social Housing to deliver energy improvements to social homes in the City Region. This follows delivery of SHDF Wave 1 by the Combined Authority.
Funding is targeted at social homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of band D-G with the aims of improving their energy performance to EPC band C, reducing reliance on fossil fuel heating, and easing fuel costs for tenants.
Registered Providers determine which of their homes to include in SHDF, which measures are suitable for installation and which contractors to appoint to provide retrofit assessment, design, coordination, and installation services. If you are a social housing tenant, please contact your provider directly to enquire about participation.
The Combined Authority is currently working with Registered Providers in the City Region to prepare for future Waves of SHDF.
