FORMER footballer Rio Ferdinand is fronting a new housing joint venture with the government that could construct 1,000 new properties for “affordable” and market rents.

The ex-England player, who grew up on a council estate, announced the plans to build the homes — of which 45 per cent they claim would be “social housing” — at the MIPIM property trade fair in Cannes this week.

It would be part of a sports-based “community” on 22 hectares of land in the Kingsland area of Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, where 41 per cent of children are growing up in poverty. But no details have been released as to whether the “social” rents would be truly affordable.

Central Bedfordshire council would own freehold of the properties that it would lease to investors in a “leaseback deal” that could see the homes revert to its ownership after 45 years, according to Inside Housing.

Mr Ferdinand runs a “regeneration” company called Legacy, set up last year with West Ham captain Mark Noble and Brighton footballer Bobby Zamora, that would start building the homes next year.

The project — financed by private investors — has support of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Tory housing minister Brandon Lewis — who shared the stage with Mr Ferdinand at MIPIM.

The Star reported on Thursday that more than 10 local authorities went to France to discuss demolition and “regeneration” of council estate homes with investors. Meanwhile, the Lords’ economic affairs committee announced yesterday a final public evidence meeting for Tuesday over the Housing and Planning Bill.

The committee will grill Mr Lewis on why ministers have “such a clear preference for homeownership.”