Homes England has agreed a multi-million-pound debt facility with independent land promoter Richborough to accelerate planning activity and unlock new housing development sites
The funding will bring forward new sites through the planning system, increasing the supply of consented land for SME builders, housing associations, and major housebuilders.
By strengthening early-stage development—particularly the submission and progression of planning applications—the partnership is intended to speed up housing delivery and support progress towards the government’s target of 1.5 million homes this parliament.
12,500 new homes in 2026
In 2026, Richborough plans to submit more than 30 planning applications for schemes totalling around 12,500 new homes. This follows a strong 2025 in which the business submitted applications for around 9,000 homes and completed sales to housebuilders including Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Bromford, Charles Church, Vistry Group and Taylor Wimpey.
Paul Campbell, chief executive at Richborough said: “We are delighted to partner with Homes England to scale Richborough’s impact for housing delivery. Decision times for major planning applications are taking 3 times longer now than in 2014 and against this backdrop, flexible long-term capital is essential. This facility gives us the confidence to invest earlier in more sites, maintain momentum through the planning process, and bring forward high-quality, well-designed schemes that can be built quickly once consented.”
One of the first investments through Homes England’s new National Housing Bank
The investment is one of the first commitments delivered through Homes England’s newly established National Housing Bank, which is designed to provide flexible, government-backed finance to unlock housing and regeneration projects that the market may struggle to bring forward unaided, helping attract additional private investment and accelerate delivery at scale.
Simon Century, chief executive officer of the National Housing Bank said: “Homes England works with partners who share our ambition to accelerate the delivery of quality homes in the places they are needed most. Our partnership with Richborough, supported through the National Housing Bank, demonstrates our commitment to enabling housing delivery where it can have the greatest impact.”
1.5 million homes by 2029
The 1.5 million homes ambition is widely described across industry analysis as requiring a sustained uplift in planning approvals and build-out rates to around 300,000 homes a year, with planning bottlenecks, skills shortages and slow site delivery consistently identified as key barriers to meeting the goal. Recent government reforms have focused on speeding up the planning system and increasing certainty for developers in order to close the gap between current delivery levels and the target.
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