54 councils across the UK will receive a share of £68m to unlock and develop brownfield sites. The funding will be used to deliver on the government’s pledge to build 1.5m homes over the course of this Parliament and deliver on its election promises to help families on to the housing ladder.
The funding is the next phase of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 launched in July 2022 which committed £180m to develop un and under-used brownfield sites for housing. Councils can clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for the homes – a category of land the government describe as an ‘eyesore’ and ‘expensive to prepare for housebuilding.’
On the funding Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“From the outset we promised to get this country building again to deliver 1.5 million homes over this parliament and help tackle the housing crisis we have inherited. That is the essence of fixing the foundations and driving growth. I said this government is on the side of the builders, not the blockers. And I meant it. This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places that people want to live and work.”
Our brownfield-first approach will not only ramp up housebuilding but also create more jobs, deliver much-needed infrastructure, and boost economic growth across the country. This government “is rolling up its sleeves and delivering the change the British people deserve.”
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said:
The government is committed to a brownfield-first approach to housebuilding, and we have already taken steps to prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land through our proposals for a ‘brownfield passport’. The funding announced today will support the delivery of thousands of new homes and boost economic growth by unlocking development on scores of abandoned, disused and neglected urban sites across the country.
The money will cover the cost of decontamination, clearing disused buildings or improving infrastructure such as internet, water and power. to enable the building of a further 5,200 homes. Areas earmarked to benefit include
- £2.9 million to Manchester to unlock a vacant brownfield site to build 220 much-needed affordable homes
- £2.2 million to Eastbourne to transform a former industrial site, to build 100 new homes including 80 affordable houses
- Over £1.7 million to the town centre in Weston-Super-Mare to allow over 100 homes to be built on brownfield land
- £1.4 million to Northampton to transform a former bus depot and deliver 72 new homes
In it’s first few months in office the Labour government has placed housing at the heart of its plans, pointing to a consultation on reforms to to the National Planning Policy Framework, including new mandatory housebuilding targets for councils; the launch of the New Homes Accelerator group to unblock thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system or partially built; the introduction of brownfield passports where the default answer to planning is yes; and set up the independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each as evidence of its commitment to manifesto pledges.
