Govt announces £68m brownfield funding to councils

The government has announced £68 million funding under the Brownfield Land Release Fund for 54 councils, allowing them to unlock “thousands of new homes”.

The funding, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said, would go directly to the local authorities in England to help them revitalise disused brownfield sites for new homes, enabling them to “clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land,” or improve infrastructure, including water, internet and power.

This tranche of the brownfield fund will, according to MHCLG, pave the way for 5,200 homes across the country.

Projects set to benefit from the fund include a vacant brownfield site in Manchester, with £2.9 million to deliver 220 affordable homes. £2.2 million will go to a former industrial site in Eastbourne to build 100 new homes, including 80 affordable; a town centre in Weston-Super-Mare will receive more than £1.7 million for the delivery of more than 100 homes, and £1.4 million will regenerate a former bus depot in Northampton into 72 homes.

The three-year £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 was introduced in July 2022 to help English local authorities deliver on “blocked” brownfield land.

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