5,000 new homes could be built in York over the next 15 years, as the council floats plans to use its own land to plug gaps in the housing market.

On Wednesday, City of York Council revealed it was looking at sweeping new plans to strike deals with the Government-run Homes and Communities Agency, and to start building on its own vacant land.

Overall it is planning 5,000 new homes on brownfield land over the next 15 years, an average rate of almost one a day, with 1,000 to be built in the first three years.

Work could start on some sites - such as the old Lowfield and Burnholme school sites, Askham Bar Park and Ride, Tang Hall library, and the Clifton Without and Manor School sites - in little over a year, and figures show those site could together provide 500 new homes.

Cllr Sam Lisle, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods, said: "York needs more homes. High house prices in York make it difficult for people; even those on average earnings, to become home owners and high rent levels make it tough on people with lower wage levels.

"This new partnership with the HCA is a key Government initiative aimed at increasing housing provision and could help us build over 1,000 homes in York over the next three years.

"If we can get to the root of the problem, encourage more investment and develop more intermediate and affordable homes in York, we can help generations of potential homeowners get on the housing ladder."

York Press:

The new partnership would see the council and Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), allowing the council to use national support to build new homes."

A full report prepared for the city council's ruling executive reveals the plans are also being seen as a way to help bring in an extra £1 million a year from the council's assets by building up a stock of homes to rent out privately, at the same time as building more affordable homes.

Next week ruling councillors will be asked to give council staff permission to start drawing up business plans, including specific plans for Clifton Without, Manor School, and Askham Bar; and look more at the partnership options with the HCA.

They could also look at how to increase the delivery of a mix of homes to buy, rent privately, shared ownership and affordable housing. It could also kick-start builds on stalled sites, help to retain graduates in the city and explore alternative construction methods to speed up developments.

Rob Pearson, general manager at the Homes and Communities Agency added: "We look forward to working with the council to develop our partnership to ensure that developing brownfield land becomes the most common way of providing new homes for the city.

“A partnership with City of York Council will mean that we could jointly look at future land purchases, site assembly and sharing our expertise to provide not just more homes but more of the homes that people want.”

The focus on housing has been welcomed by opposition Labour councillors, but they have said the question of "affordability" will be key in deciding whether new homes help people in York.

Labour’s housing spokesperson, Cllr David Levene said: "We’re pleased to see that two years after they came to power the local Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition are starting to consider how to tackle York's housing crisis.

"The problem is that the real story here is about the move away from genuinely affordable housing to what the Government and their local supporters consider affordable: 80 per cent of market rent, which is still far out of reach for a great many of our residents in a high cost city like York.

“We wait in hope to see some real commitment to the coalition giving York residents realistic options of a decent home in their city”