A new partnership has been announced by Homes England and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation today to develop land being released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The partnership brings together the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), combining its own in-house expertise with the skills, people and finance of Homes England to help unlock the constraints, create greater certainty and speed up the construction of homes.

Nick Walkley, Chief Executive from Homes England and Graham Dalton, Chief Executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation have sealed the partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

Nick Walkley, Chief Executive of Homes England said: “This partnership provides another great opportunity to intervene in the market – and the sites will contribute towards the 300,000 homes needed each year to meet the growing demand. We are pleased to be using our skills and resource to work closely with DIO on the delivery of these brownfield sites.

“Through the Memorandum of Understanding we will be able to work with local authorities and communities to progress schemes faster and more efficiently providing homes where they are needed.”

The land will remain in the ownership of MoD throughout the project whilst Homes England prepares the site for development through planning and investment with governance from DIO.

Graham Dalton, Chief Executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation said: “DIO and Homes England have agreed to work together to develop sites for housing in an arrangement that will maximise value for the public purse.

“We are pleased to be entering into this partnership with Homes England for the benefit of local communities. The combined expertise will ensure sites no longer needed for Defence can be developed into much needed housing while delivering value for money.”#

The first seven sites under the new partnering agreement have also been announced today. These are: Claro & Deverell Barracks in Ripon, North Yorkshire; RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire; MOD Site 4 in Stafford, MDPGA Wethersfield in Braintree, Essex, Swynnerton Training Camp in Stone, Staffordshire, Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham, Lincolnshire and Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire.

ENDS

For more information contact Kate Hall, Communications Officer at Homes England 0115 852 6900 or 07967 782252 kate.hall@homesengland.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

About Homes England

Homes England is the new housing delivery organisation that has been created to adopt a more commercial approach to respond to the long term housing challenges facing this country. The new, expanded agency will play a far bigger role in investing in supply and intervening in the market to help deliver 300,000 homes a year by the middle of the next decade.

Homes England will act differently from its predecessor, bringing together money, land, expertise and planning and compulsory purchase powers to accelerate the supply of new homes and address affordability issues in areas of highest demand.

For more information visit our main page or follow us on Twitter.

About Defence Infrastructure Organisation

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), part of the Ministry of Defence, plays a vital role in conserving and maintaining the Defence estate as well as supporting our Armed Forces to live, work, train and deploy on operations.

For more information visit the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) website. or follow on Twitter @mod_dio

Nearly £250 million of housing deals will deliver almost 25,000 more homes, the Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has announced today (14 February 2019).

As part of this, the government will be investing £157 million in infrastructure such as building roads and putting natural green space alongside developments.

A new partnership has also been struck by the government’s housing accelerator Homes England to build over 10,000 properties on Ministry of Defence land on 7 military bases across the country.

In London, more than 1,500 new homes will be built at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park thanks to a £78 million loan helping to fund the development.

This is all part of the department’s drive to make the housing market work for everyone and deliver much-needed homes across the country.

The Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

We delivered 222,000 homes last year which is the highest number in a decade, but we must keep upping our game.

We are invoking the spirit of Britain’s post-war push to build as we strive to hit our target of 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s, for the first time since the days of Harold Macmillan.

By investing in infrastructure, freeing up public sector land and offering targeted loans we are making the housing market work.

These deals struck today will help us build almost 25,000 more homes – which is another symbolic step towards our homebuilding targets.

Ministry of Defence housing agreement

Homes England have agreed a partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to develop land being released by the Ministry of Defence.

Over 10,000 homes will be built on 7 different sites – with the potential for more surplus army land to be used in the future.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Ellwood said:

As we work to make our military bases more modern and efficient, it’s important that former MOD land is used in a way which serves local residents and the economy.

This new partnership underlines our commitment to helping housebuilding in this country and will provide good value for money to taxpayers.

Infrastructure investment

The government confirmed £157 million will be invested under the Housing Infrastructure Fund in schemes in Devon and Cumbria.

The money will pay for a new motorway link road between south Carlisle and the M6, unlocking up to 10,000 new homes at St Cuthbert’s Garden Village.

In Devon, £55 million will be spent on road improvements and other infrastructure so that 2,500 homes can be built to the south west of Exeter.

Olympic homes for London

Two new neighbourhoods of 1,500 homes will be built in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park following a £78 million loan from Homes England.

The loan is part of the government’s £4.5 billion Home Building Fund, which provides development and infrastructure finance to home builders.

It is anticipated that the first phase of the development will be completed in summer 2021, with work at East Wick and Sweetwater being fully completed by 2028.

Work has already begun on phase one of the site, which will include 130 new affordable homes and 105 for private rental, as well as more than 33,000 square feet of business and creative space.

Modern methods to build homes

Up to 650 new homes will be built on 3 sites in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, Hertfordshire, using Modern Methods of Construction – which mean properties can go up more quickly.

The scheme – which is receiving £10.6 million of funding from Homes England – is the first to benefit from the government’s £450 million Accelerated Construction Programme.

Work is due to start on the first site in Hatfield town centre in June.

Further information

The Homes England partnership agreement with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation will see sites developed at:

• Claro and Deverell Barracks in Ripon, North Yorkshire
• RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire
• MOD Site 4 in Stafford
• MDPGA Wethersfield in Braintree, Essex
• Swynnerton Training Camp in Stone, Staffordshire
• Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham, Lincolnshire
• Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire

Two new neighbourhoods will be built at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park following a funding injection from Homes England, the government’s housing delivery agency.

More than 1,500 new homes, including 450 affordable homes, will be created across the two communities, which will be known as East Wick and Sweetwater.

Schools, green spaces, business and creative space, leisure and community facilities will also be developed at the two sites.

Homes England have agreed a £78 million loan to fund the first four phases of the scheme, being developed by a joint venture between Balfour Beatty Investments and Places For People Homes on land owned by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

The loan is part of the Government’s £4.5 billion Home Building Fund, which provides development and infrastructure finance to home builders.

Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP said:

“We have not built enough homes in the capital over the last 30 years, and it’s ordinary Londoners who are paying the price.

“Brick-by-brick we are turning that around and this investment in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will help get more than 1,500 properties built.”

It is anticipated that the first phase of the development will be completed in summer 2021, with work at East Wick and Sweetwater being fully completed by 2028.

Work has already begun on phase one of the site, which will include 130 new affordable homes and 105 for private rental, as well as more than 33,000 sq ft of business and creative space.

Sir Edward Lister, Chairman of Homes England added: “Homes England is committed to helping ambitious partners build quality homes at pace, in the areas of greatest need.

“We’re delighted to be supporting Balfour Beatty Investments and Places for People Homes to create the homes and neighbourhoods people in London deserve.”

Ends

For more information contact Sarah Foulkes, Communications Officer at Homes England. Tel: 0161 200 6130/ 07967 782 162 or email sarah.foulkes@homesengland.gov.uk

Notes to editors

About Homes England:

Homes England is the Government’s housing accelerator. We have the appetite, influence, expertise and resources to drive positive market change. By releasing more land to developers who want to make a difference, and investing in places of greatest need, to deliver new homes. Homes England welcomes partners who share their ambition to challenge the traditional norms and build better homes faster.

For more information visit our home page or follow us on Twitter @HomesEngland

A new coalition led by Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England has announced the first ever national ambitions to improve the detection and treatment of atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (A-B-C) – the major causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Detecting and treating these conditions can prevent or delay the onset of CVD, but they often carry no symptoms meaning millions are unaware they are at risk and in need of treatment. Over 5 million people are currently living with high blood pressure undiagnosed in England alone. By 2029, PHE and NHS England want:

• to detect and treat millions more people living with high blood pressure who are currently undiagnosed; currently, just over half (57%) of those with high blood pressure have been detected (6.8 million people) – the ambition is to increase this to 4 in 5 people (80%)
• to ensure three quarters (75%) of 40- to 74-year-olds have received a formal CVD risk check and have had their cholesterol levels recorded; currently fewer than half (49%) of those eligible for a formal check have received one (7.6 million people)
• to increase from 35% to 45% the proportion of 40 to 74 year olds at high risk of developing CVD who are treated with statins

The A-B-C conditions can be detected through routine checks across community and healthcare settings. The ambitions include recommendations for decision makers and frontline professionals on getting more people checked and best practice for identifying and treating those already at risk. People aged between 40 and 74 are also being urged to get their free NHS Health Check, which helps detect the early warning signs of CVD.

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health England, said:

Know your numbers and save your life. We know our PIN numbers but not the numbers that save our lives. Thousands of heart attacks and strokes can be prevented by more people knowing their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers and by seeking help early. Prevention is always better than cure.

CVD is the leading cause of premature death and disability in England, causing a death every 4 minutes. Achieving the national ambitions would help meet the long term plan target to prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and cases of dementia within a decade.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS Medical Director, said:

This shows the fantastic commitment being made by this coalition to identify and treat heart disease and stroke which are top priorities in the NHS Long Term Plan. These ambitions will save thousands of lives by identifying and targeting people most at risk of these preventable conditions.

The ambitions also commit to reducing the health inequalities associated with CVD, with people in the most deprived communities four-times more likely to die prematurely from CVD than those in the least deprived. Health inequality data on each of the high risk conditions and tailored plans to address them will be published by 2021.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Prevention is at the heart of our vision for improving the health of the nation, empowering people to stay healthy, not just treating them when they’re ill. Almost half of those with high blood pressure are going about their daily lives without it being detected or treated. Millions of people are needlessly at risk of heart attacks or strokes when it could be prevented. So I want to help more people take the time out to protect their future health and get checked.

The NHS Long Term Plan has a target to prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and cases of dementia within 10 years. By coming together across the system to agree these ambitions, we have set the goal posts for how we will achieve this target and continue our fight against the nation’s biggest killer.

To see the ambitions in full read the CVD edition of Health Matters and download the infographics.

Additional quotes

Professor Jamie Waterall, National Lead for Cardiovascular Disease at Public Health England and Chair of CVD Prevention Forum, said:

Millions are unaware that they are living with these serious but treatable conditions. Detecting them early will help avoid thousands of heart attacks and strokes, the majority of which are preventable. If you’re between 40 and 74, get your free NHS Health Check to find out if you’re at risk and how this can be lowered.

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said:

Heart and circulatory diseases are responsible for one in four deaths in this country, so improved detection of the major risk factors will play a critical role in the fight to save lives. If these ambitions are made a reality, the prospects of millions of at-risk people will be transformed.

For this to happen we must embrace innovative approaches so those at greatest risk of developing these conditions are identified at an early stage – making it as routine to know your numbers as it is to know your bank PIN number or weight. This means taking detection out into the community, making sure those with atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure or raised cholesterol have access to testing in local settings such as a supermarket or pharmacy. Those who do have one of these conditions will then able to get the treatment they need, and can be supported to self-manage on an ongoing basis.

Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, said:

We know that 9 in 10 strokes can, and should, be prevented. However, our research shows that if we don’t act now, then we can expect the number of strokes to increase by 44% in the next 20 years.

Every 5 minutes, stroke destroys lives. It can strike anyone – young or old. In England alone, there are around 5.5 million people with undiagnosed high blood pressure – ticking time bombs for stroke. Tackling this and atrial fibrillation (AF) would see the biggest drop in the number of strokes every year. We urge people to get their free NHS Health Check to test for these high risk conditions, prevent the devastation and disability that stroke causes, and avoid unnecessary cost to the NHS.

There are a number of ways people can take action to find out if they’re at risk:

• if you’re between 40 and 74, take up your offer of a free NHS Health Check, which will help you find out if you’re at risk of CVD and the support that is available to lower this risk
• if you’re over 30, take the Heart Age Test to find out more about the factors that affect your heart health; those under-30 can take the How Are You quiz for easy tips on healthy living
• everyone can find out about the different ways to maintain good cardiovascular health, such as eating well, staying active and cutting back on alcohol; free advice is available through PHE’s OneYou campaign

The National CVD Prevention System Leadership Forum is made up of over 40 member organisations covering government, NHS England, other arm’s length bodies, the third sector, Royal Colleges, clinicians and academia.

The Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America met today in Warsaw to discuss the situation in Yemen.

The Ministers reiterated their commitment to a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Yemen and their endorsement of the agreements reached in Sweden by the Yemeni parties in December 2018. The Ministers also welcomed the adoption of UNSCR 2451 and UNSCR 2452, which support the implementation of these agreements and build on the political framework set out in UNSCR 2216, the Gulf Co-operation Council Initiative and the National Dialogue Conference outcomes. In this regard, the Ministers reiterated their full support for the tireless efforts of the UN Special Envoy.

The Ministers called on the Yemeni parties to rapidly and fully implement the agreements reached in December 2018 for the sake of the Yemeni people. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the preliminary agreement reached on the deployment of forces in Hodeidah by the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and call on the Houthis and the Government of Yemen to confirm their agreement to this plan and to work urgently with the RCC and the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) to implement the mutual redeployment of forces from the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa in compliance with their obligations. The Ministers stressed that there should be no further delaying tactics with regards to implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement. The Ministers agreed to monitor the situation, coordinate closely and meet again if there are any further delays.

The Ministers called on the Yemeni parties in their areas of control, in particular the Houthis who still control the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Isa, to ensure the security and safety of UNMHA personnel, and to facilitate the unhindered and expeditious movement into and within Yemen of personnel, equipment, provisions and essential supplies in accordance with UNSCR 2452. In this regard, the Ministers expressed concern about the bureaucratic impediments puts in place by the Houthis which are hampering UNMHA’s vital work. The Ministers also called on the Yemeni parties to redouble their efforts to finalise arrangement for implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement and to establish the Taiz Joint Coordination Committee.

The Ministers also discussed Iran’s de-stabilising effect on Yemen, through the illicit provision of finance, ballistic missiles and advanced weaponry to the Houthis, and in the wider region. In this regard, the Ministers noted the UN Panel of Experts’ finding that Iran has provided advanced weaponry to the Houthis in violation of UNSCR 2216 and UNSCR 2231. In this regard, the Ministers strongly condemned the Houthi drone attack of 19 January 2019 on Al-Anad airport. The Ministers underlined that the firing of ballistic missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Houthi forces into neighbouring countries posed threats to regional security and prolonged the conflict. The Ministers expressed full support for Saudi Arabia and its legitimate national security concerns and called for an immediate end to such attacks by Houthi forces and their allies. In efforts to reduce illicit fuel imports by the Houthis, the Ministers discussed steps to curb activity facilitating Iranian oil flows whist at the same time, ensuring fuel flows through Red Sea ports.

The Ministers also discussed the urgent humanitarian crisis which the conflict has created and reiterated the importance of stabilising the economy; keeping food and fuel coming into the country and supporting economic Confidence Building Measures as part of the peace process. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the deposit of $2.2 billion by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Central Bank of Yemen, their financial contribution to oil derivatives and the $570 million contribution paid by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to tackle food security and pay teachers’ salaries. The Ministers also welcomed the Government of Yemen’s determination to resume regular payment of the salaries of civil servants, teachers and health workers across the country and called on the Houthis to cooperate with this process. In light of recent reports of illegal interference in the operations of a number of local banks in Sana’a and the areas of banking staff, the Ministers condemned these actions and firmly request the Houthis to lift the imposed regulations on local banks in Sana’a which impede commercial imports and desperately needed humanitarian assistance. The Ministers also encourage the Government of Yemen to continue to issue letters of credits to all major food importers, making the process clearer and quicker.

The Ministers agreed that there is a window of opportunity to end the conflict in Yemen and to redouble their efforts to reach a political solution.

Further information