Manchester City Council has reported major progress in delivering its ambitious Housing Strategy, with the city firmly on track to meet its goal of building at least 10,000 social, Council and genuinely affordable homes by 2032. A new report highlighted a record‑breaking year for homebuilding and a strong pipeline of development that continues to grow.
Launched in 2022, the strategy aims to increase the supply of high‑quality homes to meet rising demand, expand affordable housing options, and support the development of sustainable, long‑lasting neighbourhoods as Manchester’s population continues to rise.
The year 2025 was the most successful to date. Across the city, 2,993 new homes were completed – meaning 31% of the 36,000‑home target to 2032 has already been met. The completion of 791 affordable homes marked the highest delivery in more than 15 years. Importantly, 59% of these affordable homes were capped at social rent, a significant increase from just 30.6% at the start of the strategy period. The Council also expects 2025/26 to become the highest‑delivering financial year for affordable homes since the mid‑1990s.
Despite national challenges in the construction industry, Manchester maintains a strong development pipeline through close partnership working. There are currently 1,459 affordable homes on site, including 814 at social rent, with a further 2,704 homes either consented or going through the planning process, of which 1,219 are social rent. The new Social & Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) – part of the June 2025 Spending Review – will provide a significant boost, with £39 billion of national investment and an expectation that 60% of all homes delivered will be for social rent, supporting the city’s ambitions, particularly in central neighbourhoods.
Since 2022, 86% of all affordable homes delivered in Manchester have come through partnerships with Registered Providers, supported by Homes England funding and Council‑owned land. In 2025 alone, 230 affordable homes were completed on land owned by the Council, and more than 880 additional homes are expected to start on site or enter consultation in 2026. Key projects already under way include 133 social rent homes at Salboy’s Viadux 2, new affordable homes at the Church Street Car Park opportunity site, and 250 homes at Birley Fields in Hulme, which will prioritise affordable housing.
The innovative Project 500 (P500) model, delivered through the Manchester Housing Provider Partnership, demonstrates how smaller brownfield sites can deliver 100% affordable housing. Across 35 sites in 13 wards, the two phases of the programme will create 517 affordable homes, with 75% for social rent, 20% at Manchester Living Rent, and 5% available as affordable home ownership.
Of the 357 homes in Phase One, 51 are already complete, with all remaining schemes expected to be on site by the end of 2026. Phase Two – totalling 160 homes across 12 sites – began its planning process in December 2025, with further consultations scheduled throughout 2026. The P500 programme has also generated notable social value, including 98 apprenticeships and job starts, more than 100 apprenticeship weeks, 130 hours of volunteering, and nearly £12,000 donated to community organisations.
Alongside new development, the Council continues to make better use of existing homes. A key part of this is rightsizing, which helps residents move from larger Council homes into accommodation that better suits their needs. In 2025, 108 households were supported to rightsize, with 67 receiving help through the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme. A further 432 households have expressed interest in future moves. Over the last two years, 150 households have also been rehoused in wheelchair‑accessible or adapted homes, enabling greater independence.
Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council, Cllr Gavin White, said:
“Our housing strategy was designed to be ambitious and to drive significant housing delivery across the city, including thousands of social rent, Council and genuinely affordable homes to help meet demand as Manchester’s population continues to grow.
“Four years in and we are already seeing positive progress against our targets and we know that our strong pipeline of major projects will continue to grow in the coming years. Our progress so far is a testament to the strong work partnerships we have in Manchester and the registered providers that are committed to delivering the homes our residents need.
“Building homes at scale – particularly social rent housing – remains a major challenge for cities across the UK, but we have created a really strong base of projects that will help accelerate new home building in the coming years.”
The Council will shortly consult on a new empty homes strategy aimed at bringing unused properties back into active use. In addition, a programme to tackle tenancy fraud – which prevents social homes from being used by families who need them – will launch in the coming weeks.
Manchester City Council says the combination of strong delivery, deepening social rent provision, partnership‑led development and innovative programmes like P500 shows the city is well on track to meet its long‑term housing goals.
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