The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced today that councils across England will be able to bid for a share of the final round of the £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2.
This latest round will unlock council-owned brownfield sites through up to £80 million to transform neglected and unloved land into thriving communities – creating thousands of construction jobs and releasing land for over 8,000 new homes by March 2028.
The funding builds on the government’s long-term plan for housing which prioritises brownfield land for new homes to be on track to deliver the manifesto commitment of 1 million homes over this Parliament.
Trade outlets such as Property Week have reported that the full Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 is expected to support the development of 17,600 new homes and create 56,000 new jobs over the next four years. The first two rounds, in November 2022 and October 2023, have so far supported 89 local authorities and more than 160 projects.
As part of today’s announcement, the Minister of State for Housing visited Northampton where the Department previously awarded £470,000 to West Northamptonshire Council through the Brownfield Land Release Fund 1 to unlock land for affordable housing. Local outlet Northampton Chronicle reported on the Minister’s visit to New Southbridge Road to launch the final round of funding, carrying his quote, which referred to building more homes on brownfield land as “past of our mission to level up the country”.
ITV Anglia accompanied the Minister during his visit for a package on their evening bulletins. They questioned him about the importance of using brownfield land to deliver more homes and how the government intends to meet its pledge to build 300,000 new homes a year.
Minister for Housing Lee Rowley MP said:
We want to build the new homes people need and brownfield land is crucial to delivering the Long-Term Plan for Housing.
This fund will transform unloved and unused brownfield sites into thriving new communities, helping more young families on to the property ladder and creating thousands of jobs.
This is a game changer for councils and I strongly encourage them to apply and reap the benefits in their local areas.
Councils in England can apply for the final round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 here.