Labour allocates £20.5m for Northern brownfield development
Keir Starmer’s government will provide £68m to 54 councils nationwide in an effort to turn neglected land into homes.
The government claims the land released will enable 5,200 homes to be built.
Of the allocated £68m, £20.5m was given to Northern councils, including £7m for the North East, around £5m for Yorkshire, and around £9m for the North West.
Funding will be delivered through the Brownfield Land Release Fund, allowing councils to clear empty buildings, former car parks, and industrial land for future development.
Councils will also be able to fund local infrastructure, such as water, energy, and broadband to improve services for residents.
The Prime Minister said: “I said this government is on the side of the builders, not the blockers. And I meant it.”
He continued: “This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places [where] people want to live and work.
“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.”
The Labour government has already laid out some of its steps towards its 1.5m home ambition with the launching of the New Homes Accelerator, ‘brownfield passports’, the New Towns Taskforce, and an overhaul of the National Planning Policy Framework.
Matthew Pennycook, housing and planning minister, added: “The funding announced today will support the delivery of thousands of new homes and boost economic growth by unlocking development on scores of abandoned, disused, and neglected urban sites across the country.”
Yorkshire
In Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull City Council received £1.4m and Kirklees Council received £1.25m.
Wakefield Council was given just over £1m, while Sheffield City Council was given £700,000.
North East
Newcastle City Council was given £2.4m and Darlington received just below £500,000.
Sunderland City Council was the biggest recipient of funding in the North East with an allocated £4m. The city council was also the subject of another announcement today – £30m from Homes England for the transformation of Riverside Sunderland.
North West
Manchester City Council has received more than £4m and Salford City Council was given £1.6m.
Manchester received a special nod in the government’s announcement of the funds, with the highlighting of £2.85m for phase one of The Reno, Mosscare St Vincent’s 223 affordable home development in Moss Side.
The 3.4-acre site is being developed with “urgency”, to address housing shortages in the area.
The rest of the allocation will go towards smaller affordable home developments such as the 31-home Varley Street project, MSV’s Crabtree Lane, and Southway’s 541 Wilbraham Road developments.
Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “Brownfield sites – like that at the Reno in Moss Side – represent a significant part of our affordable housing investment pipeline into the future.
“These underused parcels of land hold great potential to help us meet our ambitious housing strategy targets, including our commitment to help build at least 10,000 Council, social and genuinely affordable homes in the next decade.”
He continued: “But quite often a key challenge is to clean and clear these sites – which are often contaminated – to allow new homes to be built.
“This is where funding packages such as the Brownfield Land Release Fund are vital to Councils to unlock home building opportunities and help meet [the] ever-growing demand for affordable, sustainable housing in Manchester.”
The funding offered to Manchester City Council was the largest regional sum offered by the central government.
In comparison, Liverpool City Council was offered £305,000, St Helens received £1m, and Halton received £500,000.
Cumberland Council was given £1.3m, Lancaster received only £73,440, and Blackburn with Darwen Council was given £310,000.
