Liverpool City Region signs England's first Place Delivery Agreement with Homes England

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Homes England and the National Housing Bank have signed a Place Delivery Agreement (PDA) intended to speed up the delivery of homes, regeneration and economic growth across the city region.

Homes England said it is the first PDA to be signed anywhere in England. The agency described the agreements as a new mechanism that moves its relationship with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, and that of the National Housing Bank, from collaboration to co-delivery.

What the agreement contains

According to Homes England, the agreement gives the mayor more influence over housing and regeneration investment decisions. It aligns the work of Homes England and the National Housing Bank around three pillars set by the city region.

The first, transformative growth, covers two large schemes: the Liverpool North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation and Central Station Gateway.

The second is to maintain and enhance the city region's housing pipeline in order to increase the delivery of social, affordable and council homes.

The third is about tackling barriers to delivery. Homes England lists skills, capacity and issues in industrialised construction among the areas the partners will work on, along with enhancing place-based investment.

A dedicated Joint Delivery Unit will be set up to bring the three organisations together. Homes England said the unit will be led by nominated co-chairs from each organisation.

Homes England's GOV.UK guidance on the agreements says each PDA features agreed delivery commitments and strengthened accountability arrangements. The published Liverpool City Region document is titled as covering 2026 to 2027.

The new agreement builds on an existing Strategic Place Partnership between the parties, which Homes England said was focused on collaboration around shared ambitions and priorities.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "This gives us a real opportunity to get more council and social homes built, get stalled schemes moving and make sure investment is focused where it can make the biggest difference."

The two named schemes

Homes England said the North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation will help unlock around 17,000 homes and support the long-term transformation of Liverpool's northern waterfront. Liverpool City Council's Cabinet agreed proposals for the development corporation on 16 December 2025.

Central Station Gateway is expected to support around 4,300 homes, together with commercial growth, connectivity improvements and regeneration across 86 acres of the city centre, according to Homes England.

Liverpool City Council has described the Liverpool Central scheme as an 86-acre project aiming to create a transport hub and drive regeneration. The council has appointed a design team to produce a Strategic Regeneration Framework to guide investment, placemaking and renewal around the station.

The funding behind it

The National Housing Bank, a subsidiary of Homes England, is a party to the agreement. The bank says it will invest up to £16 billion through debt, equity and guarantee products, and that it aims to attract over £50 billion of private capital.

When the government announced the bank in June 2025, it said the institution would deliver over 500,000 new homes.

What happens next

Homes England said PDAs will become the principal way it works with mayoral authorities on housing delivery, regeneration and growth, supported by its new regional operating model.

The agency aims to agree a PDA with every Established Mayoral Strategic Authority and Mayoral Strategic Authority over the coming weeks.

Pat Ritchie CBE, Chair of Homes England, said: "We look forward to expanding this approach with mayors across England in the months ahead."

For contractors, housebuilders, registered providers and offsite manufacturers, the Liverpool agreement gives an early indication of how the model is structured: a jointly chaired delivery unit, priorities set by the mayoral authority, and named barriers such as skills, capacity and industrialised construction written into the agreement.