Homes England and Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority have signed a Strategic Place Partnership covering housing and regeneration priorities across Hull and East Yorkshire, bringing the region’s two councils into a shared long-term delivery framework. The 9 October agreement is not a main construction contract, a funding award or a construction start. It is intended to build a coordinated pipeline of priority sites and bring Homes England into earlier work on land, infrastructure, viability and investment. The announcement sits alongside three further government built-environment updates published on Friday covering drought in Yorkshire, the clearance of 39,500 tonnes of illegal waste in Kent and community resilience planning in Somerset.
Editorial illustration: London Construction Magazine.
Homes England and Hull form long-term housing partnership
The Homes England announcement confirms that the Strategic Place Partnership brings together Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority, Homes England, Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Rather than treating major developments individually, the organisations intend to establish joint priorities and a shared business plan around a pipeline of housing and regeneration sites. No single main contractor, regional construction contract or contract value has been announced through the partnership itself.
The distinction is important for the construction supply chain. Strategic partnerships, funding programmes and identified development pipelines can improve the route towards delivery, but they remain separate from planning decisions, project-specific procurement and construction awards. London Construction Magazine made the same distinction when examining the Government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, where programme funding does not automatically translate into immediate site starts. East Bank Urban Village in Hull is one of the projects identified in the new partnership. The brownfield riverside development is planned to provide up to 850 homes with commercial space, green areas and walking and cycling connections.
Its own delivery position is further advanced than the regional partnership announcement. ECF, the partnership between Homes England, Legal & General and Muse, was confirmed as lead development partner in 2025. Hull City Council submitted plans for the first phase in April 2026, alongside outline proposals for the wider neighbourhood. Homes England now says phase-one construction is currently expected to begin in 2027.
Elsewhere in East Yorkshire, Homes England is working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council around Easton Road in Bridlington and the redevelopment of Alamein Barracks in Driffield, while the new partnership announcement also refers to plans for around 1,800 homes at Howden. Homes England Chair Pat Ritchie said: “Through this Strategic Place Partnership, we will work with the Mayor and local partners to align investment, unlock growth and regeneration.”
Yorkshire officially enters drought status
The Environment Agency has separately declared Yorkshire to be in drought following low reservoir and river levels after a dry spring and summer. The regulator says Yorkshire experienced its fifth driest April-to-September period on record. Yorkshire now joins central, southern and eastern England in drought status, while the North East and North West remain classified as being in prolonged dry weather.
The National Drought Group is meeting weekly, while the Environment Agency is carrying out enhanced monitoring, increasing checks on abstractors and processing drought permit applications from water companies. Government research cited in the announcement estimates that 120% of long-term average rainfall would be required over the next seven months for all areas of England to move out of drought. The 9 October declaration does not itself impose a blanket construction-site restriction. For contractors, however, sustained dry conditions can affect water-dependent operations, dust suppression, concrete curing, ground conditions, fire prevention and landscaping. These were among the climate-related delivery pressures examined in LCM’s analysis of the risks reshaping construction in 2026.
39,500 tonnes removed from illegal Kent waste site
The Environment Agency and Defra have also confirmed that 39,500 tonnes of illegally deposited commercial waste have been removed from Hoad’s Wood in Kent. The Site of Special Scientific Interest had been targeted by illegal operators, with waste reportedly reaching around 15ft high in places. The clearance was led by the Environment Agency and carried out by Acumen Waste Services Ltd, with more than 50 specialist workers involved.
Physical clearance is complete, but the enforcement case is not. The Environment Agency is working with Kent Police and the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, and three men have been arrested in connection with the investigation. The regulator says 33 arrests have been made since April through its wider waste-crime work.
The case follows other large illegal waste clearances, including the 22,105-tonne Kidlington operation previously covered by London Construction Magazine after six arrests in that investigation. For demolition, refurbishment and construction businesses, the enforcement activity keeps attention on the legal waste chain, carrier and destination checks, transfer documentation and the need for an auditable route once material leaves site.
Somerset prepares for Flood Action Week
In Somerset, the Environment Agency has confirmed that the annual Somerset Prepared Community Resilience Day will take place at Millfield School in Street on 21 October, with this year’s programme focused on involving young people in emergency planning. Workshops will cover local emergency plans, wildfire preparation and weather patterns, while Somerset Council is expected to provide an update on the Somerset Flood Resilience Fund. The programme follows a year in which Somerset has experienced both flooding and drought conditions.
This is a community-resilience initiative rather than a construction procurement announcement. Its relevance to the built environment is centred on preparedness, local flood risk and emergency planning rather than a new capital works programme. The event also falls immediately after the Environment Agency’s Flood Action Week, which runs from 12 to 18 October.
What happens next
The next stages differ across the four announcements. Hull and East Yorkshire partners will now develop joint priorities and a shared delivery business plan, with East Bank phase one currently expected to move towards construction in 2027. The National Drought Group will continue meeting weekly, the criminal investigation at Hoad’s Wood remains active, and Somerset’s Community Resilience Day is scheduled for 21 October. No new regional main works contract or construction start has been announced through the Hull and East Yorkshire Strategic Place Partnership itself.
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Expert Verification & Authorship: Mihai Chelmus
Founder, London Construction Magazine | Construction Testing & Investigation Specialist |
