Manchester council chief issues Northern Way warning

Northern England's housing stock cannot cope with the economic growth envisioned by the Northern Way.

This was the warning from Manchester council deputy chief executive Eamonn Boylan when he spoke last Thursday at a Housing Today event in the city.

Boylan, a member of the project team for the Northern Way – the Communities Plan for the North – addressed 50 delegates from councils and housing associations across the North-west in two separate sessions.

He said: “There will be some serious implications and challenges for us all in the way we do business as a result of the Northern Way. Do we have housing stock that is capable of meeting the needs thrown up by economic growth across the North?

“The answer, although not applicable across the board, is probably no.”

The plan aims to boost the combined economies of the three government-defined Northern regions – the North-west, North-east and Yorkshire & Humberside – by almost £30bn.

Boylan stressed that the Northern Way was still at draft stage and awaiting the response of the ODPM next Monday, when the final plan will be published.

However, he repeated the document’s call for a higher number of housing demolitions.

Are our strategies for dealing with low demand as radical as they need to be? Right now, the answer is no

Eamonn Boylan, Manchester Council

The draft Northern Way said the 167,000 homes currently marked for demolition by the nine housing market renewal pathfinders in the North and Midlands was “well below” what is needed (HT 13 August, page 7).

“What we’re not doing is getting rid of enough of the wrong stuff – that is, housing that has no sustainable future,” Boylan said.

“Are our strategies for dealing with low demand as radical as they need to be?

“Are rates of stock replacement and new build adequate? Right now, the answer is a resounding no.”

Boylan added that the final Northern Way document would not “be prescribing for the local level” but would be attempting to create a “framework for economic growth” with housing as a crucial part of that.

The ODPM’s full response to the Northern Way is expected at the sustainable communities summit that will take place in Manchester in January.