Market engagement exercise underway

Scarborough borough council has put firms on notice for a £250m affordable homes deal.

The council is inviting “potentially interested” organisations involved in the development of affordable housing to a preliminary market engagement exercise to outline initial views and ideas around the development.

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A contract notice for the £250m deal will be published next year

A contract notice for the scheme, part of the council’s Better Homes project, is expected to be published at the beginning of May next year.

The council’s cabinet member for stronger communities and housing Carl Maw said the market engagement exercise is a “key milestone in the first phase of this hugely important project to build more high quality housing that is affordable for our residents”.

The council said that while the Better Homes project is mainly focused on providing new homes, it is also part of a plan to reduce the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the borough.

Demand for affordable housing in the region is high, with workers in the borough earning £507 per week on average, below the average of £574 per week for workers across the wider York, North Yorkshire and East Riding region.

Firms have until 2 October to respond to the market engagement exercise, which can be downloaded from the council’s tendering website.