The public sector across Essex has joined forces in a groundbreaking initiative to free up land and assets to build more open-market, affordable and specialist housing.

The trailblazing Housing and Public Sector Land Project was initiated by the Essex Partnership Board after it identified that partnership working could help to address housing shortages in Essex.

A number of possible sites have been identified across the county for this purpose and the work has already drawn plaudits from the Government and national organisations committed to tackling countrywide housing needs.

As well as helping to kick-start provision of more general housing, the project also seeks to provide additional affordable or specialist homes in mixed communities to meet local needs.

The project is being led by Councillor David Finch, chairman of the Essex Partnership Board and leader of Essex County Council, and Glen Chipp, chief executive of Epping Forest District Council.

They are working alongside other partners including the NHS, emergency services, district, city and borough councils, housing associations and the Probation Service.

Councillor Finch said: “We are already facing a long-term housing challenge in the county as we know our population is only going to get bigger, so Essex partners have come together to look at how we can tackle this.

“We are taking action to help meet the housing needs of residents.

"The project also has cross-generational benefits - from first time buyers to those needing accommodation which meets their extra care needs.

“Essex County Council is keen to see integrated and supportive communities for all Essex residents and is already working with developers and providers to deliver a range of supported living options.

"This project is one of the ways we can expand that approach.”

Mr Chipp added: “This is an innovative project which is designed to improve the lives of people in Essex.

“We and our partners are working together to provide leaner, more efficient services and spend less on maintaining old, inefficient buildings.

“We are striving to free up land for developments which will address local housing needs in a cost-effective way – the end result ensuring local communities get the most out of the public sector’s valuable property estates.”

The project has been praised by the Government and national organisations.

The Rt Hon Eric Pickles, MP for Brentwood and Ongar and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: “House building is at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan.

"That’s why, rather than leaving surplus public sector land idle, we are putting it to good use by releasing it to build new homes across the country, with 103,000 new homes built on unused public sector land so far.

“I am delighted to see Essex County Council is following Whitehall’s example by exploring what it can do to release land and deliver new homes and savings for local taxpayers.

"This is an excellent example of public bodies working together to help build for the future.”

Claire Astbury, external affairs manager for the National Housing Federation, added: “Having worked closely with the council on this, we are delighted that Essex County Council is leading the way on delivering the homes this community needs.

"Housing associations are keen to work with partners in Essex to bring their affordable housing development expertise to the table.

"This initiative represents a creative and proactive approach to tackling the housing crisis and one that we would welcome elsewhere.

"Getting the nation building is vital – that’s why we are calling on the next government to commit to end the housing crisis within a generation.”

The Essex project could involve a number of different approaches - working with partners to pool land for housing development that would otherwise not have been identified, speeding up progress where sites have stalled or collaborating with partners on shared-use initiatives to bring forward sites for development.

The project, designed to meet local priorities, will not only look at money raised from developing land, it will also take a longer-term approach by considering ongoing budget savings (such as reduced social care costs) that could be made in the future.

This work will be vital as the population of Greater Essex is expected to increase by 12.2% between now and 2030 (from 1,779,253 to 1,996,833).

The project also aligns with the government’s One Public Estate Programme, a pioneering initiative designed to enable local authorities to work successfully with central government and local agencies on public property and land issues through sharing and collaboration.