Govt announces 40,000 new homes on railway land

The government has announced it will kickstart the development of up to 40,000 new homes on surplus railway land.

A new development company, Platform4, will deliver the homes over the next ten years by disposing available rail land, attracting private investment and “accelerating community regeneration”, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Department for Transport (DfT).

The government departments said Platform4 would join together the functions and capabilities of London and Continental Railways and Network Rail’s property team, each previously managing different aspects of surplus rail land across the UK. “This fragmented approach often led to inefficiencies, duplicated efforts and missed opportunities for strategic development,” they stated.

The new development company is expected to generate an additional £227 million “by delivering at greater pace and scale”, initiating £1 billion worth of new developments across the country.

Now, MHCLG and DfT said, neighbourhoods in cities would be “transformed with homes, green spaces, shops and hotels – creating thousands of jobs”.

So far, four sites are poised for development under the initiative: Newcastle Forth Goods Yard, holding the opportunity for up to 600 new homes and “unlocking additional new homes”; Manchester Mayfield with the …