The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced today (18/1) that disused brownfield sites across England will be regenerated to deliver thousands of new homes and jobs.
Councils across England will be able to bid for a share of £60million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, which will help to bring neglected urban areas back into use, support regeneration projects and boost local economies.
The funding will deliver 5,800 new homes by March 2027 and create around 18,000 new jobs in the housing and construction sector, while helping thousands of first-time buyers into homeownership.
It forms part of the Government’s plan to prioritise brownfield land for new housing, transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work, while protecting the country’s green spaces.
£35million of the full £180million brownfield fund has already been allocated to areas across the country, with the remaining funding being made available to councils over the next two years.
In total, the full brownfield fund will deliver 17,600 new homes and 56,000 skilled new jobs over the next four years, helping to transform communities and level up the country.
Lucy Frazer, minister for housing, said: “We want to turn neglected areas into thriving new communities, as part of our mission level up the country. To do this we must prioritise brownfield land to deliver new homes for people, in the right places.”
“The £60million fund we are opening today provides another fantastic opportunity for councils to drive regeneration in their towns and cities and help more young families onto the housing ladder.”
Cabinet Office minister, Alex Burghart, said: “This funding is absolutely vital for stimulating growth and helping local areas reach their full potential.”
“Neglected land such as this is ready for investment and this funding will pave the way for more than 5,800 young people and families to take their first step onto the property ladder. This is great news for businesses and even better news for local people, who are seeing housing as well as jobs moving to their area for decades to come.”
Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The LGA is delighted to continue to partner on the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) through our One Public Estate Programme. Councils are at the forefront of housing delivery, with BLRF2 supporting them to meet the needs of their communities by releasing their surplus land for new, high-quality, energy-efficient homes.”
This scheme builds on the success of the first Brownfield Land Release Fund, which saw £77million help councils release over 160 brownfield sites for around 7,750 new homes across the country.
The application window for this round will close on 31 March 2023 with successful projects expected to be announced over the summer.
Source: Show House News
