£58m allocated to new housing developments

The UK Government has made £58 million in funding available for the building of “thousands of new homes” across the country.

The funds, which have been released from the £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF), will be used to ‘boost local areas by transforming unloved and disused sites.

Michael Gove, MP and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, said, “We are levelling up and backing home ownership in every corner of the country, delivering new high-quality, affordable homes and creating thriving places where people want to live, work and visit.

“Making the most of previously developed land is a government priority and it will help protect our cherished countryside and green spaces.”

The initiative aims to create “vibrant communities” by demolishing derelict buildings and disused car parks and garages, and around half of the £58 million has been earmarked for “self and custom build projects to help make it more affordable for people to build their own homes”.

Gove said, “Today’s allocations include £5 million for self and custom build projects. A further £20 million from the BLRF has also been designated to help accelerate the self and custom build sector, with councils now able to bid for the remaining funding – giving local people the opportunity to build and design their own homes.”

According to the Government, which is aiming to build up to 300,000 new homes a year by 2025, around 244,000 homes were built last year – “the highest number of new homes for over 30 years”.

It said it wants to “put home ownership within the reach” of more people across the country, by making it a “realistic and affordable” option.

A total of 53 local councils around the country have been allocated a share of the money, which could help support up to 17,000 housing and construction sector jobs.

Cllr James Jamieson, Local Government Association Chairman, said, “Councils recognise how valuable this support is, and are being ever more ambitious in their ideas to use this funding to kick-start transformation, regeneration, and new development in their communities.”