Appendix 1

Liverpool City Region

Housing & Spatial Planning Board

Local Investment Plan 2 2011-2015

18 November 2011

CONTENTS

Foreword 1

Purpose and Scope of LIP2 2

The City Region Vision and LIP2 Objectives 4

Understanding 6

Liverpool City Region Approach 13

Delivering the Vision 21

Appendix A - Liverpool City Region - Pipeline/Stalled 23 Schemes

Contact Details 24

FOREWORD

The Liverpool City Region shares an ambition and commitment to deliver further economic growth. Working together; Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral have demonstrated the success of cross-boundary collaboration in driving economic, planning, housing and transport improvements across the City Region. This has delivered real increases in the economic and social prospects of local communities, residents and businesses; and created a firm platform for growth moving forward.

The Local Investment Plan (LIP) for 2010/11, helped to secure over £80m of housing and regeneration investment into the City Region and was instrumental in influencing the utilisation of key resources, including the National Affordable Housing Programme and Housing Market Renewal Fund. Since then there have been significant economic, political and fiscal changes and this second Investment Plan reflects that revised agenda.

The Plan sets out the key contribution a strengthened housing and neighbourhood offer will play in underpinning the ambitions of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership. A Prospectus for Investment, it draws on the many opportunities arising from household growth projections, local economic and land assets, the City Region’s Further and Higher Education capacity and Enterprise Zones alongside the drive towards enhanced local determination of tailored solutions.

Key to driving delivery in the current climate is a commitment to promote investment opportunities, prioritise action, strengthen partnership working and develop delivery mechanisms which make the best use of resources. Work is already well underway in this regard, working closely with Local Authorities, Registered Providers, Developers, Investors, the Homes and Communties Agency (HCA) and local communities.

We will continue to build on these positive relationships and forge new links, to ensure Liverpool City Region fulfils its potential.

Councillor Joe Anderson, Leader Liverpool City Region Cabinet Deborah McLaughlin, Executive Director, North West and AMES, HCA

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1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF LIP2

This Local Investment Plan (LIP) has three primary roles:

• As a prospectus for housing and regeneration investment in the Liverpool City Region • To clarify LCR’s priorities to support economic growth while maintaining the momentum of regeneration • Inform HCA’s business plan by setting clear priorities for future investment in the City Region

This builds on current and previous strategic frameworks, including LIP1, the Multi Area Agreement and recent Government policy announcements.

1.1 Prospectus for Investment

This LIP advocates how public and private investment in housing and regeneration will support economic growth and meet local needs and aspirations. The Plan is supported by evidence on economic, demographic and housing trends within the City Region and these highlight the opportunities and the challenges that remain.

To meet these the City Region is committed to working with partners to develop new ways of delivery, based around incentives, shared risk and enhanced private investment to complement public sector resources.

1.2 LCR Priorities

Whilst housing alone cannot drive the prosperity of the City Region, it is vital that we secure the right housing in the right places so that growth is not stifled or suppressed. This recognises that investment must both support market strength and continue to address areas of market failure if the City Region’s full economic potential is to be realised.

We will ensure that housing investment and development supports this by creating high quality and accessible places to meet demand from growth sectors across the City Region. Alongside this we will seek to ensure that growth is aligned with regeneration to boost areas of greatest potential and to continue to support some of our more challenged and vulnerable neighbourhoods.

To achieve this, we are committed to achieving a step change in the quality of the housing choice open to current and prospective residents. The offer for the economically active has to be further developed if we are to meet their aspirations and retain their skills for the benefit of businesses and at the same time we have strong commitments to meeting the needs of vulnerable groups of people. We also recognise that we must continue to push for improvements in the quality of the existing housing stock – bringing more empty homes back in to use, enhancing energy efficiency and in tackling unacceptable living conditions.

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1.3 HCA Business Plan

LIP2 has been produced by the LCR authorities and the HCA and is a joint statement of priorities for housing and other investment to support economic growth and deliver sustainable communities.

The HCA holds physical and land assets within the LCR and this asset base is an important resource. Many are in strategically important locations where the LCR is seeking to promote transformational change, and a significant number are important in the context of the JESSICA regeneration fund. The management of these assets will also closely align with the development of the LEP priorities.

In essence, LIP2 informs the HCA Business Plan around its four key themes:

• Use of skills and expertise to help deliver schemes and determine priorities • Optimising the use of land holdings • Steering investment decisions • Maximising the potential of the Economic Assets within the Stewardship Model

This will help to establish the priority for resources within a Local Investment Agreement (LIA).

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2. LIVERPOOL CITY REGION VISION AND LIP2 OBJECTIVES

The establishment of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) signals the commitment to driving private sector led economic growth and job creation. At the heart of this is a vision to develop LCR’s status as a thriving international and national investment city region, based upon global trade, knowledge, manufacturing (such as TATA, Unilever, Pilkington and Getrag) and tourism.

This includes a clear drive to grow, strengthen and enhance the long-term sustainability of the economy, moving from a public sector dominated to a private sector based economy. Key actions relevant to this plan include:

• Delivering a step change in our economic performance by prioritising our investment activity in transformational areas, in particular the Liverpool Super Port; Knowledge Economy; Low Carbon Economy; and Culture and Visitor Economy; • Prioritising the Atlantic Gateway development including Wirral and Liverpool Waters; • Overcoming barriers to investment including planning, access and infrastructure, site availability and finance; • Making best use of public sector funds and assets to encourage private sector business investment and to maximise private sector leverage; • Increasing the scale of economic activity and developing global markets; • Increasing the number of residents who are in work.

Successful and sustained economic growth in areas and sectors of opportunity underpins our over-arching development and regeneration ambition, that the benefits of economic growth are shared by all the City Region’s communities.

LCR is well supported by our joint transport planning, working in collaboration with Halton and delivery through the Integrated Transport Authority. The LEP will identify transport interventions, to facilitate and help unlock potential economic growth and rebalance the economy. Transport is important in terms of actively supporting the connectivity of people with work and the delivery of efficient infrastructure to support key investment drivers such as the Port of Liverpool, John Lennon Airport, Mersey Gateway, Knowsley Industrial Park and new rail infrastructure.

LCR has established a model of collaborative governance that provides an effective balance between the democratic accountability of elected members, the primacy of existing statutory authorities and the reality that there are other major stakeholders who have legitimate interests, positions and contributions to make to the delivery of our aspirations. These include: • A LCR Cabinet made up of the six Leaders of the local authorities, with associate membership of the four joint authorities (Merseytravel, Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, Merseyside Police Authority and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service). It is Cabinet who, with the HCA, take responsibility for agreeing this LIP; • A LCR Chief Executives Group who develop the strategic framework; • The LCR LEP - a private sector led body with strong support from the public sector working together to identify opportunities, and create the conditions for growth, job creation and increased productivity.

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The City Region partners support the commitment to rebalancing the economy from public sector to private sector, from service sector to manufacturing and from south to north. We have developed our key economic priorities building on our competitive advantages, we are committed to creating the right conditions for private sector investment and we firmly believe that we have the assets, capacity, skills and commitment to deliver this agenda together.

We recognise that the economic environment remains challenging with markets still fragile and investment finance still scarce. Meanwhile, new policy solutions are being developed to support development including an emphasis on localism, a move from targets to incentives and a reformed planning framework.

The City Region faces significant reductions in public expenditure all of which necessitates a change of approach for regeneration and urban renewal with a greater emphasis on prioritisation and backing the opportunities for private sector led economic growth and sustainable job creation. The LIP is designed to support investors, developers, housing providers and public sector organisations who are looking to invest in the built environment of the LCR.

Strong local leadership and effective partnership working are critical in creating quality places that stand the test of time. Only with sustained commitment and investment will we deliver on our potential. This plan outlines what we are doing and what remains to be done to achieve these ambitions.

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3. UNDERSTANDING LIVERPOOL CITY REGION

3.1 Economic Trends

Liverpool City Region is home to around 1.5 million people and 49,000 businesses across the boroughs of:

• Liverpool - the commercial, cultural and transport hub and world-class city for business and knowledge; • Sefton - the base of the primary port at Seaforth and the classic tourist resort of Southport; • Halton - the chemical, science and technology base of Daresbury, together with the significant logistics and distribution capabilities for the City Region at 3MG; • Knowsley - the largest industrial area within the City Region, Knowsley Industrial Park with key transport infrastructure across road and rail freight; • St Helens and Wirral - key business locations for advanced manufacturing and logistics for the City Region.

Over the past decade the City Region economy has grown faster than that of the North West and is now estimated to generate Gross-Value Added (GVA) of £22bn per annum, circa 19% of the North West total. The latest data shows Gross-Value-Added (GVA) per person of £14,698, 1 representing a 50% increase over the same period.

The map above shows growth in GVA per person and as can been seen, Liverpool has grown by a larger amount than anywhere else in the North West and mirrors the growth rates of the fastest growing localities across England and Wales. This reinforces the primacy of the core city, as a pivotal driver for growth moving forward.

Despite this rate of growth, GVA per capita in Liverpool City Region remains below both the regional and national averages, reflecting the high inactivity rates in parts of the City Region.

1 Excluding Halton

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Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens have the lowest average levels of GVA and Halton the highest.

Data on economic change since 2008 inevitably reflects the national economic recession of 2008- 09 and the uncertain progress of the economy since that point with falls in employment and increases in claimant rates. The economic activity rate in the City Region remains below both the regional and national averages, especially in Liverpool. Independent evidence confirms that Liverpool City Region remains exposed to falls in public sector employment. This is likely to severely impact on the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in the city region.

The Liverpool City Region Economic Assessment (2009) concluded that there would be employment growth in the City Region between 2008 and 2030 but that this would be “jobless growth” until around 2015. This reinforces the importance of attracting public and private sector investment in the immediate future to:

• Rebalance the economic base of the city region by expanding the private sector; • Reduce reliance on the public sector for jobs and investment; • Raise productivity by increasing business density, occupations in higher value-added sectors, skills and employment levels.

These actions will be critical in closing the performance gap that currently exists between Liverpool City Region and the rest of the UK - £6,400 per capita – and supporting the resurgence of UK plc more broadly.

The location of future growth is predicted to be generated by and the strategic investment areas. Many of the City Region’s more deprived and vulnerable housing markets lie adjacent to these areas of potential economic growth. This confirms these areas as a priority for housing investment and development to address deprivation issues; provide housing for economically active households; restructure the housing market by offering a wider choice; and support economic growth.

To accelerate progress, action will be focused around four key growth sectors:

• Liverpool Super Port – Over £1.8bn of new infrastructure developments that build on existing ports, airports, road, rail and logistical assets to stimulate economic growth and job creation. This could realise 21,000 new jobs and £6.1bn in GVA by 2020; • Knowledge Economy – Particular emphasis on Life Sciences, Creative and Digital Industries, Financial and Professional Services, and Advanced Manufacturing. A 15% rise by 2022/23 would see the knowledge economy jobs total increase from 387,000 to 445,000 - an additional 58,000 jobs; • Low Carbon Economy – Offshore Wind Energy, Microgeneration, Smart Grid and Retrofitting in particular offer substantial new job creating opportunities utilising our key assets, capabilities and businesses creating 7,000 new jobs by 2015 and 12,000 jobs by 2016; • Culture and Visitor Economy – The visitor economy supports approximately 40,600 jobs in the City Region. Over the next three years, the priority is to create a further 2,500 jobs,

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spanning hotels, restaurants, conference venues, visitor attractions, cultural institutions, transport and tour services and creative industries.

Despite current budgetary pressures and prevailing economic conditions, strong private and public sector partnerships remain committed to advancing major projects/initiatives in these growth sectors. The case studies highlight a range of key opportunities that are being actively progressed which will make substantial contributions to the economic success of the City Region over the next few years.

Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone

The Mersey Waters proposals involves regenerating 110 hectares of derelict and underused dockland in Liverpool and Wirral. It will provide a major mixed-use development of approx 3 million sq m including offices and commercial, residential and visitor/leisure attractions.

This has recently been awarded Enterprise Zone status and planning permission was approved in 2010 for East Float in Wirral Docks. The total scheme is expected to deliver up to 38,000 jobs and provide £10 billion of investment by 2050.

Post-Panamax Container Terminal Enabling Works [Mersey Estuary]

The River Terminal (Post-Panamax Container Facility) will be wholly funded by the private sector. It will create 408 direct jobs in Sefton and 4,631 indirect jobs, 3,278 of which will be in Sefton or other Merseyside Districts.

Mersey Gateway

This £589m scheme for the second bridge crossing of the River Mersey at Runcorn/Widnes will commence in 2013. This key transport infrastructure will help to unlock the creation of over 4,000 jobs in the city region and beyond.

Daresbury Science & Technology Enterprise Zone

The £20m scheme with Enterprise Zone status builds on the excellent success of Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus and will accelerate plans to deliver an internationally-recognised hub for science and technology companies. This will attract international technology companies to the UK and support and retain technology SMEs with the potential to stimulate the national economy by generating over £200m/year of GVA.

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Employment and Housing: and Queens Bedford [Keepmoat]

The successful RGF funded project will deliver 505 new homes, creating 122 new jobs (including 10 apprenticeships) and improve skills and supply chains in the construction industry. This will play a key role in transforming the housing offer and complement and encourage economic growth ambitions.

Kirkby Town Centre

The regeneration of Kirkby Town Centre is a partnership between Knowsley Borough Council and Spenhill Regeneration Ltd. The 50,000 sq m mixed use development comprises new food store; retail; new library and PCT with associated transport and highway improvements. The scheme will lever in £190m of investment to the area and create over 1,000 jobs. The broader impacts of the scheme will be delivery of new homes across the Kirkby area and support the long term investment plans for Knowsley Industrial Park.

3.2 Demographic Trends

Current projections envisage a 2% increase in population and a 13% increase in households across the City Region up to 2033 to reach:

• A population of 1,496,500 (+27,800 people) • 704,000 households (+73,000 households) or circa 2,900 extra households per annum

Though modest in comparison to national trends, significant variations are observed across the districts as detailed below.

2008 2033 Population 2008 2033 Household Household population population change households households change change Area estimates projections 2008-33 estimates estimates 2008-33 2008-33(%) Halton 118,500 124,400 5,900 49,000 56,000 7,000 14.3 Knowsley 149,700 154,800 5,100 62,000 71,000 9,000 14.5 Liverpool 441,100 465,600 24,500 193,000 224,000 31,000 16.1 Sefton 274,200 264,800 -9,400 117,000 125,000 8,000 6.8 St Helens 176,700 183,200 6,500 75,000 84,000 9,000 12.0 Wirral 308,500 303,700 -4,800 135,000 144,000 9,000 6.7 Liverpool City Region 1,468,700 1,496,500 27,800 631,000 704,000 73,000 11.6 England 51,464,600 60,715,200 9,250,600 21,731,000 27,536,000 5,805,000 26.7

Source: ONS, Census 2001; 2008 based population and household projections

This shows net increases in households across all areas, even those districts forecasting marginal population decline, and also highlights the spatial distribution of household growth. In particular, increasing numbers of single person households are noted and demand from older person households. This growing trend has implications for the labour market, health services, housing and local authority tax bases.

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The latest migration statistics highlight continued out migration from the City Region (-2,400 people in 2009) with overall negative flows observed in all but Wirral (+200) and St Helens (+400). Though strong intra-city region movements are observed, clear drifts are evident amongst those aged 20-34 and to broader geographies of Cheshire, Lancashire and the UK’s core cities.

Analysis of Council Tax records show that most movers are remaining within their respective district. Zones of high inward migration include Southport, Inner Liverpool, Kirkby, Widnes and St Helens town centre (perhaps reflecting the availability of property in these areas to meet the required demand).

Stabilising and growing the population by retaining and attracting talented, economically active households is a major objective of the City Region. With 3 Universities and 49,000 students, there is significant potential to increase graduate retention.

3.3 Housing Market

The City Region is home to approximately 670,000 dwellings, and in terms of scale this offers a head start in catering to the projected levels of household growth expected up to 2033. However, there remains a mismatch in the housing offer with regard to quality, age, location and type when compared with demand and aspiration. The City Region remains committed to addressing this gap and stemming outward migration.

Local Authority Total Dwellings Social Housing % Social Housing Halton 53,340 13,720 26% Knowsley 63,080 18,150 29% Liverpool 207,260 58,060 28% Sefton 123,610 18,730 15% St Helens 79,950 17,200 22% Wirral 142,020 22,540 16% Liverpool City Region 669,260 148,400 22%

Source: DCLG Live Table 100 – Number of dwellings by tenure & district (2010)

Existing stock across the conurbation comprises a diverse range of properties (size, types, tenure and quality) within a broad mix of neighbourhoods, and at different price points. The extent to which these meet the needs and aspirations of households varies and is a key consideration across the City Region.

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The City Region has made great progress in improving the housing offer in recent years, with particular success noted with:

• The scale of new build activity achieved (4,610 homes in 06/07) and boost to investor confidence; • Concerted action to tackle market failure within the Inner Core; • Securing significant investment in the social rented sector via stock transfer; • Creating a market for City Centre Living.

However, there is much still to do if the housing offer is to complement and support the City Region’s economic ambitions . I n particular, 6 underlying challenges are apparent:

• Raising the quality of the housing offer and neighbourhoods; • Addressing stock that is old and environmentally inefficient; • Providing the right scale and range of homes that are accessible and in the right places, including ‘aspirational’ homes – 68% of properties across the City Region are in Council Tax bands A&B, only 15% are Band D or above; • Bringing the 16,400 long term empty homes across the conurbation back into use; • Securing a multi-agency approach to tackling deprivation, reducing worklessness and increasing the sustainability of some neighbourhoods - one in three of the most deprived Lower Super Output Areas in England are located within Liverpool City Region; • Maintaining the delivery of private sector led housing in a period of economic fragility and a lack of access to finance.

At present, the City Region faces the same wider housing market challenges that most other parts of the country are experiencing and this has led to:

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• Reductions in supply as new build activity reduces by 57% (1,970 homes in 09/10) and property transactions fall • Suppressed demand as property valuations, high deposit requirements and tighter lending criteria and limited mortgage availability act as barrier to owner occupation – particularly for first time buyers • A sharp reduction in turnover in the social rented sector leading to growing pressure on housing registers – almost 15,700 applicants are currently registered as being in need

At the same time opportunities are becoming apparent in relation to:

• Increased levels of private renting and the popularity of ‘broader’ housing options such as FirstBuy – 46 reservations were secured in the first month across the City Region; • Evidence of developer activity returning to the most commercially attractive schemes or where risk can be shared; • Forward pipeline of affordable homes under the Affordable Homes Programme and other LA/RP initiatives; • The innovative use of public land, assembled sites and other assets to support delivery; • Development of the Local Authority Mortgage Scheme providing help for potential first time buyers who can afford mortgage payments - but not the initial deposit - to get on the property ladder.

With limited scope for a recovery in the housing market in the short to medium term (especially in the most challenging areas where confidence is weak), it is clear that different approaches to delivery will be required which reflect both the revised market conditions and operating environment.

3.4 Land Supply

Estimates of land supply have been informed by the various SHLAAs and these show a potential land supply to deliver just under 65,000 units up to 2020, to meet both the market and affordable housing requirement for the duration of LIP2. Looking beyond LIP2 there will be increased pressure on land availability and these issues are being addressed by the production of Local Development Frameworks.

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4. OUR OVERALL STRATEGIC APPROACH

4.1 The Contribution of Housing to Economic Prosperity

Creating places where people actively choose to work, live and visit is central to the City Region’s ambition to compete with the best in Europe. Continuing to raise the quality of residential neighbourhoods and LCR’s housing offer are integral to underpinning the economic strength needed to achieve this.

Ensuring that housing meets the demands and aspirations of the current and potential workforce is a core role of this Plan in helping the supply side of the economy to function effectively. In seeking to achieve this and to maximise the impact of investment in regeneration and housing, this needs to be spatially prioritised and set within a clear strategic framework.

4.2 Spatial Priorities

In our work to date there have been 2 primary spatial priorities – support for the City Regional core as the hub of economic growth and in seeking to address market failure in the former HMR areas. We recognise that we now need to take this forward to consider new opportunities and the economic backdrop, in doing this we will use the following guiding principles:

• A need to consolidate the primacy of the core of the conurbation • Ensure support for housing development closest to where the jobs are/economic potential and in sustainable locations • Promote further housing development in areas of greatest market strength • Identify opportunities for cross subsidy to continue to support areas of market weakness develop an attractive housing offer - attracting economically active households into our most vulnerable neighbourhoods will underpin the economic viability of these areas.

Through the work we have already completed through our Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments, we will develop a revised framework at a finer grain that also maps location of economic assets and potential

In creating a clearer, prioritised framework we also recognise that it is essential to continue to drive up the quality of the environment and nature of all our neighbourhoods. These play critical roles in determining the strength of local housing markets and their attractiveness to potential residents.

We will build on and protect established successful interventions across LCR by:

• Developing forward strategies for the former HMR areas – this will draw on the strong work we did in reviewing the next steps needed for these neighbourhoods as we prioritised support for transition funding; • Sharing best practice in neighbourhood management; • Drawing on RPs and developer commitments to places where they have significant investment. • Recognising the importance of community leadership as well as physical interventions;

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• Making sure broader investment is aligned – eg resources to improve education or tackle crime.

Castlefields Regeneration Partnership

The partnership between Halton Borough Council, the HCA, Liverpool Housing Trust and PlusDane Group has invested £150m to transform the Castlefields neighbourhood. This has included the demolition of 1300 deck-access flats, the construction of over 800 new affordable homes, and around 400 houses for sale, alongside complementary retail, health and community facilities. North Huyton Regeneration

The Revive programme is a housing led regeneration scheme developed in partnership with Knowsley Council, Knowsley Housing Trust and North Huyton Communities Future. This will deliver up to 1400 new homes, two new schools, community centre and a health centre in partnership with the private sector.

In addition there is a large scale Community Energy Savings Programme being delivered in the Stockbridge Village area in partnership with British Gas, Knowsley Council and Villages Housing Association. Phase one will include £11m investment in energy measures on 1,100 homes. Phase two is expected to improve an additional 700 homes.

4.2 Delivering New Supply

The City Region will work with both private and public sector housing providers to stimulate the development of a mix of social, intermediate and market homes. This will include work to enhance the supply of the following:

4.2.1 Market Housing for sale

To ensure growth we will:

• Identify means to enhance the commercial viability of sites; • Increase market confidence, interest and competition; • Optimise the use of public land including that of HCA; • Provide support in efficient procurement including use of the HCA’s Delivery Partner Panel; • Continue to push on raising the quality of design and standards, balancing this against the economic viability of development.

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St Helens Urban Villages

As part of St Helens Council’s Regeneration Strategy, the City Growth Strategy, three housing sites were identified as Urban Villages. These were previously contaminated brownfield sites and will accommodate up to 2,500 dwellings. All of the sites now benefit from planning permission and have been designed to provide aspirational housing in these key locations. Development partners (Jones Homes, Miller, H J Banks and St Modwens) have commenced development on each site. Planning permission has secured a mix of housing with emphasis on larger, aspirational private sector houses and contributions to health facilities, sustainable transport, highways improvements, heritage trail and improvements to an adjacent conservation area.

Hawthorne Road – Sefton

Through the HMR programme, redundant and contaminated land has been acquired and remediated, reducing risk to private sector housebuilders. The overarching development agreement with Bellway (the lead private sector developer) will help to realise a mixed tenure, new build housing development, which has seen 159 units completed on 2 canal-side sites, and a further 126 units on site. This scheme plays an important role in creating a more balanced housing offer in South Sefton.

4.2.2 Affordable housing provision

We will

• Work with Registered Providers to ensure appropriate mix of development based on evidence from the SHMAs. Overall, this will provide support to those low income working families near to employment and other economic initiatives as well as those in housing need • Maximise use of existing stock including developing measures to address under occupation • Ensure we optimise the use of resources flowing through the Affordable Homes Programme and in the use of public sector land • Utilise the planning application process to secure affordable housing provision on private housebuilder schemes (reinforcing mixed communities)

Wirral Local Authority New Build Programme

Wirral Council successfully secured £1.5m as part of the HCA Local Authority New Build Programme. This has enabled the development of 23 new social rented homes on three council owned sites across the borough. The properties have all been designed to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 with 9 bungalows and 4 flats being built to Mobility Standards. Working with Lovells and Wirral Metropolitan College, the scheme has also provided 4 employment and training opportunities for local people.

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Eccleston Works Site – St Helens

St Helens Council worked in partnership with Pilkington Glass, the landowners, to produce a development brief for this 10.1 hectare site. Following the adoption of the brief by the Council, Jones Homes and Pilkington Glass have secured planning permission for the development of 262 dwellings shaped by the development brief. A key requirement of the planning permission is the provision of 35% affordable homes in a desirable area with high levels of owner occupation.

4.2.3 Market rent

Where we will:

• Recognise the growing importance of the sector and will strive to ensure this develops as an option of choice • Ensure potential is harnessed to maximum economic effect – through intervention to lift quality where needed • Push to establish new models bringing in institutional investment, exploring use and potential for rent to buy products and looking to develop links with RP management • Tackle the quality of existing stock in the areas where this remains of concern

Wirral Landlord Accreditation Scheme

Wirral has operated a successful landlord accreditation scheme since 2003 and has accredited 2,537 properties and accredited 28 managing agents. This provides an ongoing and strategic relationship with landlords and helps improve access to good quality private rented properties to those in need. Engagement is promoted through forums, newsletters, consultation groups and briefing sessions.

This focus on the private rented sector recognises its importance in delivering housing choice to residents, making the best use of existing stock and levering in significant private investment into the sector.

4.3 Bringing empty properties back into use

The local authorities in the LCR have each developed strategies for dealing with empty properties. The actions being taken fall into two broad categories – amelioration of the worst impacts on communities caused by empty homes and investment to bring vacant properties back into use. In recognising that the great majority of empty properties are in the private sector the strategic approach that has been developed has concentrated on:

• Accurate measurement of voids; • Working with a range of partners, including Registered Providers and Accredited Private Sector Landlords; • Identification of priority areas; • Selective demolition of obsolete housing;

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• Effective use of enforcement powers.

LCR partners are already working collaboratively to draw on best practice from the strategic and practical approaches that have been developed in the individual districts. We will work with the HCA to maximise the opportunities presented by the AHP and also explore ways to maximise community involvement, engage with registered provider partners and provide training/employment opportunities.

Homes Now

The HomeNow scheme involves the refurbishment of vacant houses in sustainable areas, located within or within close proximity to Housing Renewal Areas. The properties are either existing existing Council owned properties or are properties that have been bought in for refurbishment to help the general visual amenity of the area and also to provide refurbished homes for sale.

The project was initially aimed at home owners from the clearance areas but has since been extended to include sales on the open market with first time buyers taking priority. Empty homes are a potential housing resource for the City and innovative ways of engaging with commercial investors are being developed to bring these back into use. To this end a brief has been advertised seeking investment and development partners to refurbish around 200 properties in Kensington, Granby and Picton.

4.4 Improving Access to Meet People’s Housing Aspirations

Recent challenges facing those looking to secure a mortgage or secure a tenancy from a social landlord highlight how important it is to improve access to housing to meet aspiration and address needs

We will work to develop a framework to improve access to and choice of housing. This will include exploring measures to:

• Build on the success of equity schemes such as FirstBuy and consider opportunities arising from initiatives such as the CML backed LA Mortgage Scheme run by Sector Treasury • Consider opportunities to link allocation of social housing with employment • Improve links with private rented sector • Identify ways to help retain graduates through increasing housing advice • Ensure strong liaison with mortgage providers and Home Buy Agents

Property Pool Plus

Joint working across the City Region authorities is launching a new system for the way social housing allocation will be operated through the Choice Based Lettings Scheme. The scheme will be introduced in Spring 2012. Knowsley Council, , Sefton Council, Wirral Council and Halton Borough Council have pooled their resources, along with local Registered Providers to develop the Choice Based Lettings Scheme, known as Property Pool Plus.

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The scheme will provide a fair and transparent system which will empower existing tenants and new applicants who are looking for a move. The Property Pool Plus system will allow applicants to actively search for and bid on properties they are interested in. Operating one sub-regional system with a joint allocations policy and a single application form will give applicants more control over their social housing choices and a better understanding of what is available to them. It will also give people more flexibility as they can access this service at a place and time that is convenient to them.

4.5 Specialist provision

Alongside gearing support more to underpin economic well being, there is a need to make sure that the housing requirements of vulnerable groups are catered for, these include:

4.5.1 Meeting the Needs of an Ageing Population

Through working with RPs and the HCA, we will seek to provide a housing offer that addresses these changing needs whilst dealing with existing sheltered stock no longer considered fit for purpose. In some areas a particular need for extra care housing has been identified. Although this thematic priority will be less focused on the most vulnerable neighbourhoods, we will be particularly supportive of developments that provide attractive alternatives to older people currently underoccupying houses in those neighbourhoods and provide an incentive to release those homes for families.

Heald Farm Court, St Helens

St Helens Council identified the need to improve and diversify the housing offer for older people in the Borough. To deliver this, partnerships were formed with a number of private sector and registered providers to create new high quality extra care schemes in locations across the Borough. One of these partnerships, with Helena Partnerships, has resulted in the delivery of the Heald Farm Court Extra Care Scheme. The Council provided the land with funding provided by Helena Partnerships and the Department of Health. This development has provided 89 mixed tenure units and has helped to free up family accommodation in the area. The development is well integrated into the local community allowing residents to retain links with their family and friends. The design approach was for a modern building contemporary 21st century building and was so successful that it was a winner of a Housing Design Award 2010.

4.5.2 Supporting Vulnerable People

We recognise that alongside economic investment, support needs to be provided to the most vulnerable members of the community. This will be particularly challenging given the pressure on Supporting People and DFG budgets. We have worked successfully with the HCA and RPs to make best use of the resources specifically available for the Homelessness Change and Traveller Pitch programmes and will continue to draw from this. We will also ensure that in developing tenancy

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strategies across the City Region informed decisions are made about exclusions from the affordable rents model which have regard to the needs of vulnerable groups.

4.6 Contributing to Economic Growth

The LIP is designed to align with and support the Economic Strategies for LCR and the activities of the LEP. However, as with the LCR Local Authorities, the HCA has key assets and capacity to directly intervene in some areas and this document sets out LCR’s aspirations in this regard.

Access to a supply of development land is a key ingredient in successful economic growth and regeneration. Publically owned land and property assets present development opportunities for commercial investment in new housing, employment and mixed uses. The City Region will work with the HCA and together to promote disposals and creative uses of public land and assets that lever private sector investment, jobs and homes to contribute towards our growth ambitions.

Public landholdings are built up and held for a wide range of reasons and are a legacy of many previous policies and investment decisions. The HCA owns land suitable for development inherited from its predecessors including:-

• Residential development sites assembled by the former New Towns Commission (eg Sandymoor, North Runcorn); • Key sites suitable for a range of uses particularly employment on both banks of the Mersey in Liverpool and Wirral inherited from the Merseyside Development Corporation, (eg Kings Waterfront in Liverpool where an extension to the Arena is planned); • A range of brownfield development sites from previous bodies including the former English Partnerships portfolio; • Residual sites and 2 tower blocks owned by the former Housing Action Trust; • The HCA also has a range of contingent assets and liabilities through funding agreements with Local Authorities and developers.

The HCA’s ownership now includes the former NWDA asset portolio which comprises 28 sites within the Liverpool City Region (over 60% of the North West portolio, now part of an Economic Assets Programme) together with other property assets including ‘contingent assets’ (clawback and other constraints). There is also an interest in the property vehicle Space North West (with Aviva and Ashtenne) and the Chrysalis Fund (a European Union approved JESSICA partnership).

This new Economic Assets programme will be managed under a North West Stewardship model which will maximise and accelerate economic development. The RDA’s legacy within the LCR offers a major opportunity to sustain growth and entice private sector investment and, working closely with the HCA and the Northwest Stewardship Steering Group, the LCR will look to devise business cases to maximum investment and leverage opportunities. We will align these assets within the Stewardship plans to deliver the vision and objectives of the North West LEPs, and in particular link housing and employment initiatives in order to support local economic development ambitions.

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The City Region Local Authorities also have a range of landholdings suitable for development and have been proactive in developing a pipeline of sites for disposals to Registered Providers to build affordable housing through the 2011-2015 AHP. We have been identifying sites that can contribute towards specific local development objectives to deliver economic growth and regeneration and for market disposals to maximise investment income.

In targeted locations this alignment of policy and assets creates a critical mass of investment opportunity that can act as a driver for transformational economic growth, place shaping, and regeneration. A good example is the Edge Lane corridor of Liverpool where there are significant public land assets together with commercial and public sector drivers for economic growth (Innovation Park, Liverpool University, proposed redevelopment of the Royal Liverpool Hospital, a potential new school and proposed major retail redevelopment) coupled with opportunities to create adjacent new housing markets to serve these economic growth locations.

The City region wishes to release its land assets to directly support private sector driven developments where they accelerate economic growth and help in the re-shaping of former areas of market weakness into neighbourhoods with an attractive housing offer. The HCA and LCR districts are committed to making sites in their ownership available for development. Wherever possible this will be on an investment basis including build now pay later principles decided on a site by site basis influenced by the value, strategic priority and costs or barriers to development.

Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre

A landmark development on the Liverpool Waterfront, the Arena opened for business in 2008, European Capital of Culture Year. The £164m investment project on public owned land supported by Liverpool City Council, HCA, ERDF and North West Development Agency created a major new destination and visitor attraction in its own right and acted as catalyst for significant further commercial investment on the waterfront.

The Arena has grown from strength to strength into one of the UK’s leading multi purpose venues which in its first year of operation hosted over 200 events and welcomed over 665,000 visitors. The Liverpool City Region strongly supports the opportunity to capitalise on and grow the visitor economy further by enabling the expansion of the existing exhibition and events facilities and further mixed use development on the adjacent land at Kings Dock owned by HCA.

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5.0 DELIVERING THE VISION

The overarching priority within the Liverpool City Region is the delivery of a housing offer which supports economic growth and regeneration ambitions. This recognises the primacy of the City Region Core in the local economy. To support delivery City Region partners are committed to:

• Promoting opportunities which support economic growth; • Prioritising activities which make the best use of public and private resources; • Supporting locally driven/community led solutions; • Developing new mechanisms for delivery; • Strengthening partnership working.

5.1 Focusing on Economic Growth

There are significant economic growth sectors and locations in the City Region. Providing housing of scale, type and quality which enables the City Region to both support and capture such growth is key. In particular there is a need to attract and retain economically active households and graduates, provide accessible accommodation which meets people’s needs and aspirations, and offer opportunities for those looking to invest in property. Harnessing private sector investment will be a key objective in this regard.

5.2 Prioritising and Making the Best Use of Resources

The challenges within the current financial climate are well known and it is imperative that we make the best use of resources including public and private investment, land, assets and expertise. This will be achieved by:

• Greater prioritisation – informed by the City Region’s research and intelligence function on social and economic trends • Closer alignment – particularly with the work of other partners • Being more efficient – reducing public cost, securing best value and demonstrating additionality including leverage of other finance • Supporting innovation – which maximises the freedoms and flexibilities around changes to funding arrangements

Embracing these principles in relation to the City Region’s suite of existing commitments, large asset base and access to new investment streams such as Regional Growth Fund, Growing Places Fund and New Homes Bonus offers an opportunity to maximise impact. Further details on the scale and priorities of this funding will be included in the Local Investment Agreement. Appendix A identifies an initial list of potential schemes for Growing Places funding although this is subject to further amendment as additional potential schemes are identified.

5.3 Locally Driven/Community Led Solutions

The Localism Bill provides opportunities for local communities to have a more direct role in the housing that is provided in their areas. Liverpool City Region has a large Community and Voluntary Sector, with a strong track record of delivering community-led initiatives. There is an

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opportunity to build on this and work with local communities to develop local solutions, such as Community Land Trusts, which deliver housing and places inline with their aspirations. 5.4 Delivery Mechanisms

The City Region will be receptive to innovative approaches that support delivery, including new products, services and investment vehicles. We also recognise the important role public land assets can play in this regard, as a means to bridge funding gaps and offer a potential return to investors. Wherever possible we will seek investment-led approaches which enable public investment to be recycled to deliver more benefits; JESSICA being a good example of this approach.

5.5 A Partnership Approach

This Local Investment Plan will signal a new era in partnership working in the Liverpool City Region, encompassing the expertise of the LEP, Local Authorities, Registered Providers, Developers, Investors, the Community and HCA. Key to this will be understanding the role and contribution of partners, as well as the mechanism for joint working. This will be set out in more detail in the accompanying LIA.

5.6 Equality Impact Assessment

An integrated impact assessment has been undertaken for this Local Investment Plan. This has considered the impact of the LIP on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. We will work with the HCA to ensure that Equality Impact Assessments accompany development proposals submitted by registered providers.

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Appendix A – Liverpool City Region – Pipeline/stalled schemes

Local Authority Site/Development Planning Permission Development value Infrastructure Costs Outputs (£million) (£million) Liverpool Project Jennifer Outline 125 3.20 2000 sq m retail space Liverpool Stonebridge Cross Preferred Option 150 15.00 550 homes, retail, leisure, sports Liverpool Boot estate, Norris Green Masterplan 84 7.00 700 homes St Helens Pilkington Park Yes 60 5.00 70000 sq m commercial floorspace St Helens Polar Ford Yes 14.50 1.50 87 homes St Helens Vulcan Village, Newton Yes 23 2.00 200 homes St Helens West Point Yes 5 0.50 hotel 3000 sq m St Helens Deacon Estate, Earlestown Yes 40 3.00 325 homes St Helens Eccleston works site Yes 53 0.60 270 homes St Helens Moss Nook Yes 51 7.50 990 homes St Helens Newton Campus Yes 11.50 1.30 70 homes St Helens Old Boston and Empress Yes 9.50 1.50 12000 sq m commercial floorspace Sefton Coffee House Bridge Adopted 11.90 0.38 108 homes Sefton Johnson’s site Yes 11.20 5.30 230 homes Sefton Senate Business Park Partial 10 0.10 250000 sq m business space Sefton St Anne’s House No 0.50 0.25 car parking/ rebalancing of land use Sefton Stanley Road car park No 20 0.10 150000 sq m commercial, retail, leisure Sefton Switch Car site, Netherton No 6 0.05 120000 sq m business space Sefton Trinity Park Yes 9 0.30 Business relocation Wirral Dell site, Rock Ferry Yes 6.50 0.25 67 homes Wirral St Benedicts, Woodchurch Yes 18 1.21 155 homes Wirral Church Road Yes 26.4 0.43 179 residential units, 10,300sq ft retail Wirral Melrose and Thornbridge No 5 0.47 47 new homes Knowsley North Huyton Revive Outline 225.00 0.72 60 new homes Knowsley North Huyton Revive Full 225.00 0.50 50 new homes Knowsley Kirkby Town Centre Outline 250.00 2.00 Town Centre business, 400 new homes Knowsley Perimeter Rd, Knowsley No 100.00 1.00 Business space

Additional schemes are to be added to this provisional list.

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CONTACT DETAILS

HALTON -

Steve Williams - Housing Strategy Manager

Tel: 0151 471 7450 Email: [email protected]

KNOWSLEY -

Steph Byrne - Head of Regeneration

Tel: 0151 443 5960 / 07876 790761 Email: [email protected]

LIVERPOOL -

Anthony Mousdale - Head of Housing Strategy and Investment

Tel: 0151 233 6738 Email: [email protected]

ST HELENS

Stephen Tracey - Head of Housing

Tel: 01744 676490 Email: [email protected]

SEFTON

Neil Davies -

Tel: 0151 934 4837 Email: [email protected]

WIRRAL

Lisa Newman - Housing Strategy Manager

Tel: 0151 934 4837 Email: [email protected]

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HCA - Homes and Communities Agency

Neil Pickering - Head of Area (Merseyside & Cheshire)

Tel: Email: [email protected]

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