Plans to accelerate affordable housing delivery set for consideration

A new approach to bring forward affordable housing across Wirral through the disposal of surplus council-owned land in partnership with Registered Providers is set to be considered by councillors. 

Members of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee will be asked to endorse the new Strategic Land Disposal Framework. 

This would see suitable council-owned sites used to support the delivery of much-needed affordable and social housing through the newly established Wirral Strategic Housing Partnership (SHP).  

The proposal forms part of the Wirral Affordable Housing Accelerator Programme, designed to increase housing supply, help tackle homelessness and housing pressures, and support wider regeneration ambitions across the borough. 

The report highlights the Strategic Housing Partnership as the council’s primary housing delivery partnership, bringing together the council and Registered Providers to coordinate investment, align priorities and accelerate housing delivery across Wirral.  

If approved, the framework would enable the council to bring forward an initial tranche of six surplus sites for affordable housing development. The sites have been grouped into two development packages to create balanced opportunities for Registered Providers, combining larger, more straightforward development sites with smaller or more challenging locations.  

This approach is intended to help unlock sites that may not be attractive if marketed individually, and create efficiencies through coordinated design, procurement and delivery. 

The first package includes the former Bebington Town Hall site, Bebington, together with land at Howson Street, Rock Ferry and the former Arrowe Hill Facilities Management Store, Woodchurch. The second package comprises Beechwood Recreation Centre, Beechwood, land at Montrose Avenue, Seacombe and land at Pearson Road, Tranmere. 

The proposed approach would assess potential delivery partners against criteria including strategic alignment with council priorities, deliverability, affordable housing outcomes and wider public value benefits. Through the Strategic Housing Partnership, the framework will help deliver the ambitions of the Wirral Housing Strategy and the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy by making better use of surplus council assets to accelerate affordable housing delivery across the borough. 

Councillors will also be asked to approve a governance process under which officer recommendations on preferred Registered Provider partners would be informed by a multi-disciplinary assessment panel involving both housing and property specialists, with outcomes reported back through the Strategic Housing Partnership.  

The meeting of Wirral Council's Policy and Resources Committee takes place on 22 July 2026. the agenda is available at: Agenda for Policy and Resources Committee on Wednesday, 22nd July 2026, 6.00 p.m. | Wirral Council