Real Estate & Housing

£27.3B Social and Affordable Homes Programme Grant Funding 2026-2036

Homes England published guidance on the £27.3 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026-2036 providing grant funding for affordable housing development in England outside London. The Continuous Market Engagement (CME) funding route is open for applications; the Strategic Partnership route closed 15 April 2026. Funding requires at least 60% of delivered homes to be Social Rent tenure, with applicants needing to demonstrate alignment with national and regional strategic priorities.

Impact&Places JV Acquires Ferrous Site, 2,250 Homes Planned

Impact&Places Partnership (joint venture between Homes England, Capital&Centric, and Swiss Life Asset Managers) has acquired the Ferrous neighbourhood development site in Manchester. The partnership is backed by an £860 million investment commitment over the next decade targeting residential-led regeneration. The acquisition will deliver 107 rental apartments initially, contributing to a planned total of 2,250 homes across the UK. First completions are expected mid-to-late 2028.

National Housing Bank Appoints Two Non-Executive Directors

The National Housing Bank, a newly launched UK public finance institution and subsidiary of Homes England, has appointed Chris Taylor and Simon Pistell as independent non-executive directors. Taylor chairs Real Estate at Federated Hermes and MEPC, while Pistell serves as Risk Director at Legal & General. The bank aims to deliver over 500,000 homes and unlock £53 billion of private investment over ten years.

Strategic Partnership Grant Applications Closed Under SAHP 2026 to 2036

Homes England has announced that applications through the Strategic Partnership funding route for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026 to 2036 are now closed as of 5pm on Wednesday 15 April 2026. Larger housing associations seeking long-term, multi-year funding must wait for future funding announcements through this route. The alternative Continuous Market Engagement (CME) funding route remains available for those developing smaller individual projects or portfolios.

SAHP 2026 to 2036: Strategic Partnership Funding Applications Closed

Homes England has closed the Strategic Partnership funding route for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026 to 2036. Applications closed at 5pm on Wednesday 15 April 2026. The guidance outlines four entry routes: Land-led Registered Provider, Local authorities, Specialist and supported housing, and Developer delivery. Future funding through this route will be announced when available.

Enforcement Appeals Go Digital: Paper Forms Cease 1 June 2026

The Planning Inspectorate announced that from 1 May 2026, paper enforcement appeal forms will no longer be issued, and from 1 June 2026, paper forms will no longer be accepted. All planning and enforcement appeals must be submitted via the Appeal a Planning Decision digital service. Affected appeal types include enforcement notices, enforcement notice listed building, and lawful development certificate appeals.

Springwell Solar Farm Granted Development Consent, North Kesteven

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has granted development consent to Springwell Energy Farm Ltd for the Springwell Solar Farm project in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire. The project includes a solar farm, battery storage, and supporting grid connection infrastructure. This marks the 106th energy application examined by the Planning Inspectorate under the Planning Act 2008, completed within the statutory timescale.

S62A/2025/0150 Decision - Roof Extension and 8-bed HMO, 265-267 Church Road, Bristol

The Planning Inspectorate has issued a decision notice for Section 62A planning application S62A/2025/0150 at 265-267 Church Road, Bristol, BS5 9HU. The application by McGowan Hayes Property Ltd proposed a second floor roof extension, demolition and rebuilding of a single storey rear extension, change of use of upper floors and part of ground floor to a large 8-bed HMO, and new shopfronts to retained ground floor commercial units. The application was validated on 22 January 2026 with representations accepted until 24 February 2026. Decision was issued on 9 April 2026.

Community Infrastructure Levy Notice Appeals Under Regulation 117, 118 or 119

The UK Planning Inspectorate published guidance listing Community Infrastructure Levy notice appeal decisions issued from 1 January 2023 under Regulations 117, 118, and 119. The page provides links to individual appeal decision documents in PDF format, with decisions spanning from December 2025 to April 2026. Decisions are searchable by reference number and date.

Board Meeting Minutes 2023-2026 - The Planning Inspectorate

The Planning Inspectorate published a transparency data page listing Board meeting minutes from January 2024 through January 2026. The page aggregates 14 meeting minute documents spanning from January 2024 to January 2026, with the most recent meeting recorded on 22 January 2026. These documents provide public access to internal governance records of the government body responsible for planning appeals and examinations in England.