£68 million of grant funding to be shared among 54 local authorities
On 15th October, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the final of three rounds of grant funding for the brownfield land release fund, worth £68 million and shared amongst 54 local authorities.
Manchester and Sunderland City Councils will be the largest beneficiaries, each receiving over £4 million while the rest of the fund will be shared out among the other 52 with Lancaster City Council receiving the smallest contribution of £73,440.
The funding will be used to carry out the expensive process of regenerating brownfield sites, replacing derelict buildings, former car parks and industrial sites with new homes.
This comes alongside Homes England’s announcement they will be investing £30 million into the transformation of the Riverside Sunderland, a former industrial area. For Sunderland specifically, the £4 million grant will serve to deliver homes on brownfield sites across the city more generally.
In the announcement, Keir Starmer stated: ‘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.’
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook echoed his Prime Minister’s words, saying: ‘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.’
This fund will help release 5,200 homes across the country and will assist the government’s challenging mission to deliver 1.5 million homes in this parliament, and comes alongside an updated NPPF, the New Homes Accelerator Group, ‘brownfield passports’, and the recently set up New Towns Taskforce. However, we still await publication of the final revised NPPF which we understand could be as late as New Year 2025. Only with that document can the sector finally get going.
