Mayor Bev Craig is calling on public bodies to hand over disused land to speed up her pledge to build affordable new homes across Greater Manchester. The scheme will target dormant brownfield sites and other public land that could be released for development.
The mayor of Greater Manchester is setting up a ‘Public Sector Land Bank’ as part of her proposals to deliver 50,000 new homes by 2039, with 10,000 expected to be built or in the pipeline by May 2028.
Announcement at Ashton-under-Lyne development
Ms Craig made the announcement on Wednesday, as she visited a development in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, where 35 new social houses have been built. She said there was a national housing crisis, as she reiterated her promise to deliver ‘a golden era of more council and social homes’.
“We will be leading by example when it comes to freeing up disused and dormant public land for development and I’m calling on other Government bodies to join us,” she said. “I know first-hand the security that a council house brings.”
Funding and targets
The affordable new home target is set out in ‘Places for Everyone’, the joint development plan for nine Greater Manchester councils, rather than Ms Craig’s original goal. The mayor said she would use government grants towards paying for the homes. In November 2025, Greater Manchester was given £1.8bn as part of the government's 10-year £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Industry reaction
The Home Builders Federation – which represents private sector homebuilders in England and Wales – welcomed the plans but said ‘similar ambitions had floundered… owing to the reluctance of public bodies to sell the land to other public agencies at a price that would enable the homes to be built economically’.
James Stevens, from the Federation, told the BBC: “Increasing the construction of affordable homes, alongside private homes, would provide significant social and economic benefits to Manchester, providing desperately needed homes, creating jobs and attracting growth to the region.”
