English Partnerships has committed £150m to deliver some 3,500 houses – including 2,000 for key workers - centred on 15 sites across the capital.

The national regeneration agency, welcoming the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday of the government’s ‘London-wide initiative’, for a new affordable housebuilding programme worth nearly £3.5 billion over the next two years, said the 3,500 houses are to form the pilot scheme for the initiative.

The initial pilot scheme will focus on a portfolio of sites, which will be a test bed for the introduction of a range of new delivery mechanisms. All the sites will include a mixture of housing tenures - homes for sale at market value, homes for low cost home ownership and homes for affordable rent.

English Partnerships expects to negotiate with a small number of partners or consortiums for the first tranche of development and an OJEC notice asking for expressions of interest is expected to be placed within the next few weeks.

The programme of site acquisitions – a mixture of privately owned and public sector owned sites - is already underway.

The portfolio already consists of four sites which themselves will deliver a third of the pilot programme.

Brownfield sites have been targeted as part of the initiative and all the sites to be developed in the pilot programme will be on brownfield land.

David Higgins, Chief Executive of English Partnerships, said, “This Initiative is significant both in helping to boost the supply of housing in the capital and at the same time providing housing which is affordable for key workers and other families in the Greater London area.

“Our plan is to work with private sector development partners to deliver the first 3,500 homes in the pilot scheme. Innovation and excellence in the design, construction and management processes will be key characteristics of this initiative.”