How Sheffield Council plans to meet huge demand for housing, including new neighbourhoods with 1,500 homes

But as a country we haven’t been building enough homes for a long time, writes Sheffield City Council leader Tom Hunt.

There is unprecedented demand on all types of housing across our city; social housing, privately rented homes, as well as homes to buy.

That is why increasing the number of new homes in our city is a key priority for me and the council. 

And it is why we are taking action to make this happen. We want everyone to have a safe, secure and affordable place to call home in a great neighbourhood they are proud of. 

In the last month, major new housing and regeneration schemes on brownfield land have been given the green light.

New neighbourhoods given go-ahead

Phase One of Attercliffe Waterside has secured planning permission. This is a major step forward for the regeneration of Attercliffe.

Phase One will provide 362 new homes, new commercial and public space and a new footbridge over the canal. Around 1,000 homes will be delivered in three phases. 

Plans to transform the former Cannon Brewery site in Neepsend have also been given the green light. Over 500 new homes, workspaces and public spaces will be provided to create a new neighbourhood. 

Neighbourhood is the key word. We are also developing plans for three new neighbourhoods at Neepsend and Furnace Hill, Moorfoot and around the station.

They will be neighbourhoods for all with affordable homes, public transport, social infrastructure like healthcare and green spaces planned in from the beginning. 

Where are new council homes being built?

As part of our commitment to bring forward over 1,000 new council homes in the next five years, we will build new council homes at Newstead and Bole Hill View.  

We are working hard to support housing associations to build more affordable homes.

On London Road, a former used car sales forecourt has been replaced by 51 new homes that will be available for social rent by Great Places Housing Group.

This is exactly the kind of brownfield development that we need more of. 

As well as increasing housing supply, we are also working hard to tackle homelessness.

What is being done to end homelessness?

Sheffield is one of six places in the UK chosen to be part of the Homewards programme, led by HRH the Prince of Wales and The Royal Foundation, which aims to end homelessness.

Through our new Homewards coalition we are exploring innovative new ways to provide new homes and to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. 

I have recently joined the International Mayor’s Council on Homelessness to represent Sheffield.

Alongside the mayors of Paris, London, Sao Paulo and other major city leaders around the world I will be sharing the good work that we are doing and learning from others. 

We also stand ready to work with the new government who have committed to building 1.5 million new homes across the UK in the next 5 years.

I joined the Deputy Prime Minister and the Housing Minister in London for a discussion about how councils and government can work together to deliver new affordable and social housing.

How can you get involved?

We are ready to play our part so we have great neighbourhoods that people are happy to call home and that more of us have safe, secure, quality places to live that we all deserve. 

To help to guide all of our work on housing, we have been listening to you. 

We have developed a new draft Housing Strategy for the next 10 years to enable all of our communities to have access to homes and neighbourhoods that meet their needs.

A public consultation has just finished and we are now working through all of your ideas and feedback.

If you have any questions or ideas about housing in Sheffield please get in touch with me at [email protected]