Leading civil and structural engineering firm Sutcliffe launches a dedicated affordable housing delivery team in response to surging demand and a rapidly growing pipeline across the UK, with more than £1bn of housing projects currently in development.
Created to boost capacity and pace, the new team strengthens Sutcliffe’s role as a key national partner in creating sustainable, inclusive communities. It reflects the scale of current work and the company’s strategic investment in housing delivery at a time of major national focus.
Sutcliffe is currently delivering multiple affordable housing schemes, including major projects across Manchester. Among them is Project 500, a flagship initiative supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Programme and Homes England, where Sutcliffe is providing civil and structural engineering services across eight sites to deliver 113 high-quality homes with a construction value of £22.5m.
In the Grey Mare Lane area, a key regeneration priority for Manchester City Council, Sutcliffe is playing a central role working on two key schemes: 82 one-and-two bedroom social rent apartments with Great Places (£16m) and 133 homes with One Manchester (£30m), which is part of a wider masterplan to deliver 1,000 new homes in the area.
Elsewhere in Manchester, Sutcliffe is delivering full engineering services for 70 apartments and 112 homes in Miles Platting, representing a combined construction value in excess of £35m. In Walsall, the team is leading on eight individual garage infill sites, providing vital pre-planning consultancy, ground investigations, drainage strategies, and utility surveys for Walsall Housing Group. In Stoke, Sutcliffe is working on the largest affordable housing scheme to date, comprising 28 houses, 28 general needs flats and a 52-bed extra care facility, adding a further £25m to Sutcliffe’s affordable housing portfolio.
The new affordable housing team is led by director William Baldwin, who brings more than 35 years of experience in complex housing delivery. This also includes senior leads: Kate Watson, executive associate and structural design lead; David Samuels, technical director of civil engineering; David Bowen, associate and geotechnical lead; and Sairah Ahmad, structural engineer.
To date, Sutcliffe has supported the delivery of more than 100,000 affordable homes, with over 6,000 delivered annually in partnership with local authorities, housing associations, and delivery partners. Sutcliffe is now scaling its operations to meet increasing national need, address housing inequality, and help address the UK’s long-term housing shortage, with a particular focus on the North, where demand is greatest.
The team’s work aligns with the Government’s £39bn Affordable Homes Programme, the largest sector investment in 50 years, supporting social rent, brownfield regeneration and long-term partnerships.
Sutcliffe is also playing a leading role in delivering affordable housing after successful appointments on several national frameworks set to drive housing growth over the next four years. As a key partner on the JV North framework, Sutcliffe is supporting the delivery of 3,000 new homes. On the ICN framework, Sutcliffe will help deliver an additional 7,500 homes across the North West and North East. Services include civil and structural engineering, site investigation, and principal design.
Under CHIC’s new eight-year Newbuild Development Framework, Sutcliffe is contributing to a new Gold Standard in housing delivery across two workstreams, delivering structural and civil engineering services for large estate regeneration projects, and acting as principal designer in the pre-construction phase.
Sutcliffe is also one of a few SMEs appointed to multiple lots on Pagabo’s £1.3bn national framework, offering civil and structural engineering, building surveying, and health and safety consultancy, including principal design services for a range of public sector clients covering the UK.
Further appointments to several specialist lots under the Efficiency North Procure Framework, including civil and structural engineering, building surveying, principal designer, and party wall services, cement Sutcliffe’s position as a trusted delivery partner for housing-led regeneration across the UK.
William Baldwin, Director at Sutcliffe, said:
“There’s a real sense of momentum in the housing sector right now, and we want to be right at the heart of it. By bringing together some of our most experienced engineers, we’re putting ourselves in the best position to respond quickly to demand. The next steps are perhaps the hardest, making sure the sector has the right people, skills and support at every stage of the process to deliver homes at scale. Sutcliffe’s affordable housing team is already solving that first piece of the puzzle, and we’re ready to hit the ground running”.
Sean Keyes, CEO at Sutcliffe, said:
“This landmark government investment marks a turning point for social and affordable housing in the UK, and we are proud to be taking proactive steps to support its delivery. The formation of our dedicated affordable housing team is about scaling our impact as well as accelerating progress where it’s needed most.
“This programme will kickstart a generational boost in the delivery of new affordable housing, giving businesses like ours the confidence to plan long term, invest in the teams that will be delivering, and help provide the homes and communities people urgently need”.
