Discussions are ongoing to increase the number of affordable homes being built at the York Central site, the prime minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking to The Press during a visit to York Central on Thursday (June 4), said it is “really important to have social and affordable housing”.
The prime minister met with the county’s mayor and the leader of City of York Council as the government announced a bid to “get Britain building” new homes by backing mayors to "take on blockers" to housing sites.
Sir Keir appeared to back calls from local politicians to increase the number of affordable homes from the initial 20 per cent planned by developers at York Central.
Work on York Central is well underway, redeveloping former railway land to create 2,500 homes and a commercial quarter creating up to 6,500 jobs.
“Here we are at York Central, 20 per cent of the housing will be social and affordable,” the prime minister said.
“But the discussion this morning that we’ve been having is how can we push that up beyond the 20 per cent?
“Because I think everybody recognises that we need more affordable housing – particularly for young people.”
Sir Keir met with apprentices from Sisk, one of the contractors for York Central, and said: “Some of them have got homes, but not all that they’ve bought – none of them have actually been able to buy near this area of York.
“So this is about turning it around for them.”
City of York Council leader Cllr Claire Douglas said it was "great to welcome" the prime minister and housing secretary on Thursday.
“We want to make sure that everyone in the city feels the benefits of this major investment in our city," she said.
"York Central will bring opportunity and good quality jobs to the young people of York for generations to come. It must work for everyone and deliver what our city needs most acutely, good homes and jobs.”
Meanwhile, mayor David Skaith has announced plans to build 60,000 new homes across North Yorkshire, 40 per cent of which will be affordable, in a bid to stop people being priced out of their home county.
He joined mayors from across the country who gathered at the University of York on Thursday for a meeting with the prime minister which focused on using devolved powers to build more homes and improve local public transport.
The housing secretary, Steve Reed, joined the prime minister at York Central and told The Press the government is giving greater powers to mayors to improve transport in their regions.
“We’ve announced a new ‘right to request’ from mayors, so they can ask for new powers then the government gives it to them – but that also covers things like public transport,” he said.
“We’re putting more decisions into the hands of mayors who know their local areas better, so they can put in the public transport that will get people to new homes that are being built.”
Sir Keir added that York’s location meant it was important to improve transport in the area.
“This is about recognising the centrality of York on a sort of cross roads north, south, east, west,” the prime minister said.
“It’s really important that we see housing, business, transport all come together.”
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