Manchester-based housing association Great Places Housing Group and its partners said they secured £36.2 million of government funding to build 1,381 affordable homes across the North West and South Yorkshire. 

Great Places said it submitted a partnership bid to the UK’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) for funding to build much needed homes as part of a four-year development programme. 

The homes will be a combination of shared ownership, rent to buy and specialist housing.

Great Places said the HCA’s 2016 to 2021 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme provides a funding pot worth £4.7 billion to help increase the supply of new shared ownership and other affordable homes in England. 

The successful bid was submitted by the Bloc partnership, which is led by Great Places and includes six other northern housing associations.

Of the 1,381 homes, Great Places will develop 872. 

Great Places chief executive Matthew Harrison said: “Great Places and our partners are dedicated to providing much-needed new homes that meet a wide-variety of needs and we are delighted with the grant award. 

“Housing associations are committed to ensuring everyone in the country has a quality home and building affordable homes is one way we continue to do this.

“We aim to continue to expand our development programme across the North West and South Yorkshire over the coming years to ensure we help deliver on this vision.”