On Saturday 19 November 2022 the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced that up to £35m has been allocated under the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 (BLRF2) to 41 local authorities’ projects in England. This forms the first round of BLRF2 which will see £180m of funding being rolled out via the One Public Estate (OPE) programme. The funding will help councils to transform unused, redundant or derelict sites into high quality homes.
Thousands of new homes will be built on derelict land to create thriving communities and help level up the country. Almost £35 million from the £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 has been allocated to 41 councils to help kickstart regeneration in towns and cities.
The funding will bring unloved, council-owned land back into use, by transforming redundant industrial sites, disused car parks and derelict buildings into new places for people to live.
Minister for Housing Rt Hon Lucy Frazer said:
“We are helping local communities transform unwanted, urban eyesores into thriving places that people are proud to call home.
Regeneration is at the heart of our levelling up mission and this new brownfield first fund will help communities across the country unlock disused, council-owned sites to build more of the right homes in the right places”
Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart said:
“This funding is absolutely crucial for stimulating growth and forms part of a push across the whole of government to get the UK economy moving.
Unused land such as this is ripe for investment, and I’m thrilled we’re opening the door for more than 2,200 new property owners to potentially take their first step onto the property ladder.
This funding is great news for businesses, it’s great news for industry and it’s even better news for local people in these communities who are seeing housing and jobs moving to their area.”
Local areas were invited to bid for a share of the first round of funding from the new scheme.
The remaining £140 million is to be allocated over the next two years – creating up to 17,600 new homes in total across the country, as well as support up to 54,000 jobs in the sector.
Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:
“We are delighted to be a key partner in supporting the Government’s £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2).
Councils play a vital role in driving progress to provide more and better housing, and the awarding of this fund will ensure English councils unlock their brownfield land for new homes and deliver local housing priorities.
With built-in support from the One Public Estate programme, councils can tackle complex and challenging brownfield sites to benefit their communities.”
This scheme builds on the success of the first Brownfield Land Release Fund, which saw £77 million help councils release over 160 brownfield sites for around 7,750 new homes across the country.
Today’s allocations will now support the transformation of more previously developed, council-owned sites, by funding infrastructure and remediation work to release the land for new homes.
Examples include:
Lancaster – one of two successful projects will see over £1.6 million will transform the city centre with 140 new homes, including new affordable homes, cultural venues, and facilities to the Canal Quarter regeneration area.
Hull – £175,000 will release land to deliver 10 new affordable homes for the local community, as part of the city’s regeneration drive.
Mid-Devon – a total of £280,000 will release land for two modular, affordable housing sites in Tiverton and Cullompton to build 14 quality, low-carbon homes for the community.
Great Yarmouth – £219,155 for one of two successful projects will boost the city centre by helping to transform old industrial buildings into 32 high-quality affordable homes, turning the area into a vibrant place for people to live.
The government have an ongoing target to deliver 300,00 new homes a year so increasing housing supply is central to achieving this
In 2019/20, just before Covid 19 hit our shores, over 242,000 homes were delivered, making this the highest number for over 30 years.
Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 (BLRF2) funding:
Local Authority | BLRF Award (£) |
Amber Valley Borough Council | 1,033,901 |
Babergh District Council | 210,000 |
Basildon Borough Council | 1,847.037 |
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | 220,000 |
Bristol City Council | 515,649 |
Cambridge City Council | 643,329 |
Canterbury City Council | 554,500 |
Chorley Borough Council | 650,000 |
Darlington Borough Council | 223,049 |
Dover District Council | 100,535 |
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council | 75,000 |
Essex County Council | 1,119,015 |
Exeter City Council | 293,391 |
Folkestone & Hythe District Council | 465,000 |
Great Yarmouth Borough Council | 237,711 |
Haringey Council | 5,913,369 |
Harrogate Borough Council | 33,000 |
Havant Borough Council | 1,650,000 |
Hull City Council | 175,000 |
Ipswich Borough Council | 3,340,500 |
Lancaster City Council | 2,769,343 |
London Borough of Barnet | 1,598,968 |
London Borough of Waltham Forest | 1,048,946 |
Mid Devon District Council | 280,000 |
Mid Suffolk District Council | 238,000 |
Mole Valley District Council | 90,000 |
Norfolk Country Council | 330,000 |
North East Lincolnshire Council | 50,000 |
Oxford City Council | 404,081 |
Rother District Council | 185,000 |
Sevenoaks District Council | 1,215,000 |
Shropshire Council | 334,500 |
St Helens Borough Council | 812,142 |
Sunderland City Council | 1,943,657 |
Tendring District Council | 420,001 |
Torbay Council | 337,748 |
Warwickshire County Council | 153,800 |
Wealden District Council | 300,000 |
West Sussex County Council | 986,722 |
Wigan Council | 506,168 |
Worthing Borough Council | 104,349 |
Local Authority
BLRF Award (£)
Comments