Homes England strategic partner selection

Housing association Aster Group has been selected as one of Homes England’s strategic partners. Aster will receive £114m to deliver 1,550 homes before the end of March 2028 – 51% for shared ownership and 49% for affordable and social rent.

Further to the comprehensive application process, Aster was chosen as one of 31 affordable housing providers that will have access to the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP). Access to the government funding will enable the Group to build more affordable homes.

Jane Gallifent, development and sales director commented on the new partnership: “This is the first time we’ve applied to be a Homes England strategic partner, so we’re very pleased to have been accepted onto the programme. This move unlocks some more funding for us and supports our development strategy to go out confidently to build more homes through our land programme and in partnership with community land trusts (CLTs).

Under the programme, Aster has committed to building 25 per cent using modern methods of construction (MMC), and will use high-quality sustainable design, work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and commit to adopting the government’s new shared ownership model.

Homes England is entering into 31 new strategic partnerships with 35 organisations to deliver nearly 90,000 new affordable homes across the country. Nearly £5.2bn of the £7.4bn funding in the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 that Homes England is responsible for will be delivered via these partnerships. Rather than access funding on a scheme-by-scheme basis (via Continuous Market Engagement), strategic partners enter into a multi-year grant agreement with Homes England to deliver affordable housing.