£45m funding boost to support councils unlock land for thousands of homes.
A £45 million cash injection into key community projects will help kick-start the building of thousands of new homes, as announced by Housing Minister Dominic Raab on 16 February 2018.
As part of Government’s drive to get Britain building homes again, a total of 79 projects from Newcastle to Plymouth will receive funding to support building up to 7,280 homes on council owned land.
To support local councils to meet their ambition to unlock enough of land they own for at least 160,000 homes by 2020, they will be able to use the Land Release Fund money to combat barriers which would otherwise make land unusable for development.
The projects – which aim to support building strong communities - include a range of necessary works such as asbestos removal and bat alleviation, as well as schemes that will significantly improve quality of life such as essential relocating of a pelican crossing.
This move comes two weeks after the projects set to benefit from the first wave of funding from the £5bn Housing Infrastructure Fund were announced, helping to get up to 200,000 homes off the ground through investment in local housing projects. This is part of the Government’s comprehensive strategy of planning reform and targeted investment to build 300,000 homes a year.
Housing and Planning Minister Dominic Raab said:
"We are investing £45 million to build roads and provide utilities, so councils can release the land to get up to 7,280 new homes built.
“It's part of our strategy to build the homes Britain needs, and carry local communities with us.
“We're determined to make buying or renting more affordable for young families and those on low or middle incomes."
Projects from Newcastle to Plymouth will receive funding from the Land Release Fund, which will enable:
Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire, to build new roads, roundabouts, and utility services, which will unlock up to 330 homes potentially built with Japanese modular housing techniques. The works will cost £1.7 million.
Worcester to demolish a leisure centre and undergo asbestos decontamination works near its city centre, helping to unlock up to 50 homes. The project will cost £750,000.
Paignton, Devon, to build a new 350m sewer, drainage upgrades and two new roads, which will help unlock up to 200 homes. The works will cost £1.9 million.
Brighton, Sussex, to divert a public sewer and make electricity substation and highways improvements. The £335,000 project will help unlock up to 30 homes.
The Land Release Fund is being administered through a partnership with the Local Government Association and Cabinet Office’s One Public Estate (OPE) programme, which provides councils with funding and access to practical support to deliver property-based projects with wider public sector partners, including central government departments.
OPE already works with over 90% of councils in England to transform local communities and services through large scale economic growth, delivering new jobs and new homes
Local Authority funding awards for Land Release Fund projects
Local Authority |
Project |
LRF Funding 2017/18 |
LRF Funding 2018/19 |
LRF Funding 2019/20 |
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Newfield Dev Area | £32,000 | ||
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Fishmoor Drive | £35,000 | ||
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Blackburn with Darwen - Griffin | £670,000 | ||
Blackpool Council | Blackpool - Bispham Road | £1,050,000 | ||
Blackpool Council | Blackpool Rd - Poulton | £300,000 | £790,000 | £610,000 |
Blackpool Council | Blackpool - Ryscar Way | £250,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 |
Breckland Council | Shipdham | £300,000 | ||
Brighton & Hove City Council | Kensington Street | £36,000 | £108,000 | |
Brighton & Hove City Council | Victoria Road | £144,000 | £226,000 | |
Brighton & Hove City Council | Selsfield Drive | £80,000 | £255,000 | |
Bristol City Council | Haldon Close Bristol, BS3 5LW | £220,000 | ||
Bristol City Council | 2-20 Filwood Broadway, Bristol | £390,000 | ||
Bristol City Council | Kingswear, Knowle West. | £250,000 | ||
Bristol City Council | Bath Rd, Totterdown | £270,000 | ||
Bristol City Council | Whitehouse Centre, Fulford Rd | £2,680,000 | ||
Broadland District Council | Rosebery Road, Great Plumstead | £160,000 | ||
Durham County Council | Former Stanley School of Technology Housing Develop | £50,000 | £1,200,000 | |
Durham County Council | Self-Build Housing Development | £810,000 | ||
Essex County Council | Moulsham (Chelmsford) | £125,757 | ||
Essex County Council | St Peters (Chelmsford) | £925,000 | ||
Essex County Council | Friary (Maldon) | £70,000 | £185,735 | |
Essex County Council | Rocheway/Millview (Rochford) | £422,110 | ||
Hampshire County Council | Mill Chase Academy | £1,200,000 | ||
Hartlepool Borough Council | Seaton Lane Sites | £112,000 | £93,000 | |
Herefordshire Council | Bromyard Depot | £225,000 | ||
London Borough of Barnet | Pinkham Way | £250,000 | £1,250,000 | |
London Borough of Bexley | West Street | £142,093 | ||
London Borough of Bexley | Walnut tree depot | £250,753 | ||
London Borough of Bexley | Bridge Street Road | £117,018 | ||
London Borough of Bexley | Nags Head Lane - Bexley | £91,943 | ||
London Borough of Lambeth | Fenwick South | £825,000 | ||
Luton Council | Taylor Street | £855,545 | ||
Maidstone Borough Council | Brunswick St / Union St | £658,000 | ||
Mendip District Council | Easthill, Frome | £420,000 | ||
Mendip District Council | Cemetery lane, Street | £210,000 | ||
Mendip District Council | Norbins Road, Glastonbury | £84,000 | ||
Mendip District Council | North Parade, Frome | £112,000 | ||
Newcastle on Tyne City Council | NCC Package of sites (Losh Terrace, Manor Park, Wansford Avenue, Newburn Road) | £525,000 | ||
North Devon Council | Seven Brethren, Barnstaple | £200,000 | £1,000,000 | £1,000,000 |
Norwich City Council | Mile Cross depot enabling works | £980,000 | ||
Nottinghamshire County Council | Residential Development Eastwood | £1,000,000 | ||
Plymouth City Council | Colin Campbell House/Colin Campbell Court | £1,000,000 | ||
Plymouth City Council | Bath Street West | £1,000,000 | £500,000 | |
Plymouth City Council | Stirling House, Honicknowle | £250,000 | ||
Plymouth City Council | Corporate Asset Release Programme | £407,500 | ||
Plymouth City Council | Land at Prince Maurice Road, Lipson Allotments | £275,000 | £250,000 | |
Plymouth City Council | Efford Health and Wellbeing Hub | £250,000 | ||
Rochford District Council | Freight House and RDC Offices (Rochford) | £204,125 | ||
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Project One: Housing Delivery - Rothwell Grange & Copewell Lodge | £300,000 | ||
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Project Two: Place Based Transformation | £150,000 | ||
Rushcliffe Borough Council | Depot- Housing Development - West Bridgford | £300,000 | ||
Salford City Council | Salford Development Site, Astley Road | £500,000 | ||
Salford City Council | Swinton Transformation, Salford | £110,000 | ||
Salford City Council | Little Hulton Residential Development, Longshaw Drive, Salford | £90,000 | ||
Scarborough Borough Council | Depot Rationalisation, Scarborough | £50,000 | ||
Shropshire Council | Ellesmere Remediation | £20,000 | £524,507 | |
South Gloucestershire Council | Emersons Green Lane, Bristol | £150,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Station Road, Yate | £230,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Land at Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke | £200,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Land at Woodlands, Tytherington | £100,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | 32 Gloucester Road/Castle 6th form, Thornbury | £720,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Charborough Road, Filton | £500,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Woodend Road, Frampton Cotterell | £15,000 | £160,000 | |
South Gloucestershire Council | Lower Stone Close, Frampton Cotterell | £20,000 | ||
South Gloucestershire Council | Eastbury Close, Thornbury | £30,000 | ||
South Ribble Borough Council | South Ribble - Bamber Bridge and Lockstock Hall | £126,000 | £236,000 | |
St Edmundsbury Borough Council | St Olaves Road, Bury St Edmunds | £670,000 | ||
Stevenage Borough Council | Kenilworth Close / Burwell Road and Gresley Way | £900,000 | ||
Swindon Borough Council | John Street Car Park redevelopment | £50,000 | £350,000 | |
Teignbridge District Council | Newton Abbot, Bradley Lane | £1,000,000 | £1,500,000 | |
Torbay Council | Victoria Square, Paignton | £450,000 | £450,000 | |
Torbay Council | Preston Down Road, Paignton | £1,100,000 | ||
Torbay Council | Collaton St Mary, Paignton | £1,976,000 | ||
West Yorkshire Combined Authority | Phase 1 Small Housing Sites | £662,125 | ||
Wiltshire Council | Land Assembly Next Phase | £80,000 | £620,000 | |
Worcester | Sansome Walk | £750,000 | £150,000 | £600,000 |
Worcestershire County Council | The Pines | £36,000 | £144,000 | |
Worcestershire County Council | Kingsfield | £30,000 | £120,000 | |
Wycombe District Council | Bassetsbury Allotments | £40,000 | £460,000 |