'Fury' over lack of funding for affordable homes

The homes are due to be built on the site of a former school on Orchard Park estate

A Hull councillor has said he is “furious” after the government’s housing and regeneration agency decided not to fund an affordable housing development in the city.

Paul Drake-Davis, the authority's portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, denounced the lack of funding as “short-sighted and unfair”.

The agency, Homes England, said it was not "in a position” to fund Dane Park – a scheme to build 133 affordable homes in north Hull.

Homes England said it would “continue to work with the council to understand funding and delivery timescales on this site”.

Drake-Davis, the Liberal Democrat member for Beverley and Newland, said: “I am furious with this decision of Homes England not to fund this vital housing scheme in North Hull.

“The Labour government have said that they want to rapidly increase the house-building programme in this country and at the same time their agency tasked with doing precisely this withdraws its funding.”

Plans to build 99 new homes on the site of the former Dane Park school, on Orchard Park estate, were approved in 2022. Thirty four homes were also approved at Isledane.

Drake-Davis added: “We need a responsible government to listen to our concerns and help us deliver what the people of Hull want, not one that pulls support for affordable homes.”

'Existing commitments'

Homes England is sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. On its website, it states: “Affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives.”

A spokesperson for Homes England told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The agency has never formally committed any Affordable Homes Programme funding to the Dane Park scheme."

“Due to existing commitments and the Affordable Homes Programme being in its penultimate year, the agency is not in a position to fund Dane Park at this moment in time.

“However it will continue to work with the council to understand funding and delivery timescales on this site, and others in the city, so it is in the best possible position to support Hull to take up future funding opportunities.”

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.