Unlocking 500,000 good quality homes: how the Renew inquiry is making the case for northern growth

Welcoming housing minister Matthew Pennycook MP to the launch of our Renew report ‘Unlocking over 500,000 good quality homes in the North’ in the Houses of Parliament earlier this month felt a significant moment.

We wouldn’t have had a minister in the room discussing housing-led regeneration 10 years, or even five years ago. Now, it’s definitely back on the table. Regeneration’s enormous potential to deliver growth, help tackle the housing crisis and strengthen communities across the north of England is being recognised.

Over the past couple of years, the government has been steadfast in its commitment to tackle the housing crisis and this commitment has been underlined by significant and welcome long-term government investment in housing. After the spending review and a campaign which brought about big change, we knew the next step should be to refocus on housing-led regeneration.

We brought together an advisory group, chaired by Lord Best OBE DL, made up of housing association chief executives, local and regional government regeneration specialists, policy experts and academics, to help shape the inquiry. We engaged with MPs though a dedicated Westminster Group, chaired by Andrew Cooper MP, and we were also delighted to welcome Homes for the North and placemakers Muse on board as supporters.

Addressing end of life stock promptly has numerous benefits

Working with these stakeholders and other experts has enriched this work and widened our remit. At the start of the project, our focus was on estate regeneration. This remains an issue at the core of our work, because addressing end of life stock promptly has numerous benefits. However, it soon became clear that to support our members’ placemaking ambitions and make a real difference, growth and renewal of town and city centres must be at the heart of the project, alongside maintaining our previous momentum around the opportunity for brownfield development in the north.

In November 2025, we officially launched the Renew inquiry into housing-led regeneration for northern growth. We issued a Call for Evidence to capture the views of the north’s housing sector. We received an overwhelming response, with submissions from organisations responsible for around one million of the North’s 1.4 million social homes. It is this evidence base which underpins our report, ‘Unlocking over 500,000 good quality homes in the North’. Working closely with housing partnerships across the North has been an integral of part this. It has opened the door to regional co-ordination of responses which wouldn’t have been possible before devolution and the emergence of these groups. 

Northern viability challenges, brought about by lower land and property values, combined with high remediation costs for brownfield sites, are the biggest blocker to housing-led regeneration 

At the NHC, we take a twin track approach to our influencing – working with politicians to set ambition and with officials to shape implementation. We have set out a high level and compelling case in this report for how housing-led regeneration is an essential part of unlocking new homes, driving economic growth, building thriving communities and boosting health outcomes through better-quality homes. We have quantified the number of good quality homes that can be unlocked in the north – more than 100,000 through densifying town and city centres; 320,000 new homes on brownfield land, and 100,000 end-of-life social homes can be renewed or replaced.

We are also clear about the barriers that stand in the way. Northern viability challenges, brought about by lower land and property values, combined with high remediation costs for brownfield sites, are the biggest blocker to housing-led regeneration. We have set out mechanisms, including a new £5bn, 10-year place-based regeneration fund for Mayoral Strategic authorities, to overcome these challenges. 

We will be focusing heavily on the critical role of tenant and resident engagement as a key ingredient in shaping and delivering successful regeneration projects 

The full report also drills down much further into the granular detail, which is essential if we want to really represent our members and help officials to overcome bureaucratic blockages. It is brimming with case studies, illustrating the transformative potential of regeneration. However, it has not been an easy road to get there with any of the schemes featured as case studies. Some have been delivered by the blending of numerous funding pots, and through the sheer persistence of members, while other schemes still sit in limbo.

The launch of this report is a real milestone as it means we have a strong foundational evidence base for conversations with decision makers. Over the summer, we’re doing a series of site visits to further bring to life the findings of our report. And we will be focusing heavily on the critical role of tenant and resident engagement as a key ingredient in shaping and delivering successful regeneration projects.

Ultimately, it’s about keeping the conversation going between NHC’s members and the government. That’s the only way to make sure housing-led regeneration plays its part in delivering new homes and making sure no one and nowhere in the north is left behind.

Tracy Harrison is the chief executive of the Northern Housing Consortium