Ex-Newcastle City Council chief executive takes on new key nationwide role

Pat Ritchie CBE has been named as the interim chair of Homes England.

Ms Ritchie, who held the top job at the city council from 2013 to 2021, is expected to hold the post for up to 18 months and is being tasked with helping to deliver Labour’s ambitious plans to see 1.5 million new homes built across this Parliament.

She was previously chief executive of the former Homes and Communities Agency, which was replaced by Homes England in 2018, and has been chair of the Government Property Agency since 2020.

Ms Ritchie, who will replace Peter Freeman as Homes England chair when he steps down at the end of April, said:  “I am proud to have been asked to step in as interim Homes England Chair during this period of transformation. The agency’s great strength is its people, who are passionate about regeneration and building strong communities, and we are focused on driving delivery to help achieve the Government’s housing ambitions.

“It is an honour to lead an organisation I have been so closely involved with for many years. We will work tirelessly with local leaders, housing associations, developers and investors to deliver the homes our country needs, building on strong foundations of place-based working and successful delivery laid by Peter Freeman.”

One of the major developments likely to come across Ms Ritchie’s desk is the regeneration of Newcastle’s Forth Yards area.

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Homes England purchased the Quayside West site, the largest plot of land within the wider Forth Yards area to the west of the city centre, last year.

Around 1,100 homes could be built on that section of vacant land, next to the Utilita Arena, where construction plans have stalled for years.

However, the Government sparked confusion last month when an announcement from the Treasury and Network Rail stated that the entire Forth Yards area could have 5,000 houses built on it – double its previously-stated capacity of 2,500. It also described the project as a “100-acre regeneration opportunity”, when the Forth Yards is actually about half that size.

The housing and planning minister, Matthew Pennycook, said: “I am delighted that Pat has accepted the role of interim chair and I am very much looking forward to working with her in the role. Pat commands considerable respect in the sector, brings a wealth of experience from previous roles, and is well-placed to ensure the agency is effectively supporting the Government’s ambitious housing agenda.”

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