The government announced £68 million which will be distributed to 54 councils in an attempt to reboot the building of thousands of new homes on brownfield sites.

Brownfield sites are often empty buildings; car parks and industrial areas which, by their nature, have inherent problems that need addressing before building works can commence.

The funding will mean councils can clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for the homes. This category of land is expensive to prepare for housebuilding due to the presence of contaminated soil or asbestos. The prohibitive cost of clearing such areas, has meant that sites have sat empty for years and are an eyesore for local communities.

The negative criteria that go with all brownfield development sites, is that due to their location there are other infrastructures that are required. To create a community location, shops; schools; healthcare and transport infrastructure is required. Without all of those they become a less attractive option.

This Brownfield Land Release Fund will supposedly allow an estimated 5200 new homes to be built, although the Prime Minister has said their target is 1.5 million new homes within this parliament. The government also stated that “Our brownfield-first approach will not only ramp up housebuilding but also create more jobs, deliver much-needed infrastructure, and boost economic growth across the country.”

Some of the projects to benefit from the funding include:

  • £2.9 million to Manchester to unlock a vacant brownfield site to build 220 much-needed affordable homes
  • £2.2 million to Eastbourne to transform a former industrial site, to build 100 new homes including 80 affordable houses
  • Over £1.7 million to the town centre in Weston-Super-Mare to allow over 100 homes to be built on brownfield land
  • £1.4 million to Northampton to transform a former bus depot and deliver 72 new homes