Homes England has announced that is has acquired Quayside West as part of its wider brownfield regeneration sites in Newcastle. Homes England has said that the acquisition is the largest land parcel in Forth Yards and has capacity for around 1,100 homes alone, with the whole of Forth Yards having capacity for 2,500 homes.

Homes England has announced the launch of MADE Partnership, a joint venture between Homes England, Barratt Developments, the UK’s leading national sustainable housebuilder, and Lloyds Banking Group, one of the largest funders of the UK housing sector. This partnership will act as the master developer for several large scale, residential-led developments, including a variety of community facilities and employment uses to deliver thousands of new homes. Potential development opportunities will include large brownfield developments and new garden village style communities.

Homes England has opened bidding for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-36, which will allocate at least £27bn of funding as part of the government's £39bn investment programme. Homes England has published updated bidding guidance alongside the launch, with access to the programme available through two routes: (1) Continuous Market Engagement enabling scheme-by-scheme partnerships and (2) the Strategic Partnership Framework, which provides long-term funding certainty for large-scale delivery. Partners must deliver at least 60% of homes for social rent. The programme aims to accelerate the delivery of homes for social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership, through mixed-tenure developments, while maintaining standards of design, safety and sustainability.

Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, has joined the Homes for Nature commitment, which aims to support wildlife while addressing environmental and climate challenges. Under this initiative, developers constructing homes on Homes England sites will be required to install a bird-nesting brick or box for every new home and include a hedgehog highway in every new development. These measures are part of broader sustainability and design requirements.

Homes England has announced the opening of applications for £21.8 million of revenue funding through the Council Housebuilding Support Fund for eligible councils in England outside London. Available until March 2029, the fund will support around 75 councils to prepare new and more ambitious capital bids for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) by funding knowledge and skills development, housing pipeline development, pre-development and enabling work, partnership working and additional staffing capacity. Councils may apply online until 2 November 2026, with decisions expected from December 2026 and further application rounds planned for April 2027 and April 2028. The fund forms part of the government’s £46 million Capacity to Build support package and is intended to support councils’ capacity to bring forward affordable housing projects, including social rent homes.

Homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, have published guidance for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026–36, a new £27.2bn initiative designed to deliver around 300,000 affordable homes, including 180,000 for social rent, across England (excluding London). The programme, which represents the largest public investment in social and affordable housing in a generation, will open for bids in February 2026 following regulatory clearance, with grants distributed from April 2026. It will operate through two funding routes—strategic partnerships for long-term delivery and continuous market engagement for site-based projects—and will prioritise the construction of social rent homes. A new digital system will streamline applications, and a £2bn bridge fund will sustain momentum as the current programme ends.

Homes England has published guidance on how to report unsafe building cladding using its ‘Tell us tool’ system. The guidance outlines who can submit reports—including leaseholders, residents, freeholders, local authorities, Right to Manage companies and registered providers, among others. It also outlines the eligibility criteria for the Cladding Safety Scheme, which offers funding for the remediation of cladding on buildings outside London that are 11 metres or higher, and on buildings in Greater London between 11 and 18 metres tall. Applications for funding must be submitted via the Building Remediation Hub.

Homes England has published its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Annual Report for 2024 to 2025. The report, introduced by Board Sponsor, Lesley-Ann Nash and Chief Executive, Officer Eamonn Boylan, highlights the agency's commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated. Homes England aims to create high-quality, affordable homes and thriving places, working in partnership with various public and private bodies. The report details the agency's strategic objectives, including supporting vibrant places, building a diverse housing sector, enabling sustainable homes, promoting high-quality homes and facilitating the creation of necessary homes.

Homes England has announced that it has signed a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA). The agreement is designed to align YNYCA’s priorities with Homes England’s resources to advance housing and regeneration projects throughout the region. One key focus is the York Central development, which has the potential to deliver 2,500 new homes.

Homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have announced updates to the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-2026 guidance, incorporating a new £1.2bn bridge fund allocation announced on 25 March 2025. The total funding now stands at £9.23bn, following earlier increases of £400m in October 2024 and £300m in February 2025. The bridge funding extends the programme's completion deadline from 2026 to 31 March 2029, specifically for projects starting on site in financial years 2026 and 2027. The funding aims to deliver at least 100,000 affordable homes outside London, with the bridge fund acting as a down payment to support the new Social Housing Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036.

Homes England has updated its guidance on the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS). In the 'CCS overview' guidance, the section on 'Social sector applicants — financial viability applications' has been amended to include specific factors that Homes England considers when making funding decisions. Additionally, in the 'Applying for funding for the CCS' guidance, the 'Practical completion — scheme exit' section has been updated to indicate that when practical completion is achieved, residents and leaseholders must be informed and provided with a link to the leaseholder and residents' survey.

Homes England has updated its Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) guidance adding clarification regarding the circumstances under which pre-tender support is available to social sector applicants. The update forms part of ongoing refinements to the CSS, which addresses fire risks associated with residential building cladding. The support, available until 31 March 2026, applies to registered providers and local authorities making applications either on hardship grounds or based on the proportion of leaseholders to total homes in a building. The funding can be used for pre-tender activities including design works and Fire Risk Appraisal of Exterior Walls costs.