£115M to Transform Brownfield Land into Affordable Housing
Housebuilding in Greater Manchester is set to be further boosted by the next phase of a £150 million Brownfield Housing Fund, which is set to deliver more than 7,800 new homes across the city region.
It has been revealed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority that £115 million is set to be invested in developing 92 brownfield sites across the region, with work scheduled to begin no later than December 2025.
All the brownfield sites identified for development were assessed on their viability and how they support the principles of the Greater Manchester Strategy, including the provision of affordable housing and the ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2038.
Boosting housebuilding will open routes for further investment in the region
The funding is the second tranche of the three-year £150 million brownfield programme, announced as part of Greater Manchester’s 2023 trailblazer devolution deal.
This set a delivery target of 7,000 new homes by 2025/26. If approved, the new schemes would see Greater Manchester exceed those housing targets, with total funding allocated for up to 11,000 homes across the city region.
Councillor Ged Cooney, Greater Manchester Lead for Housing, explained: “This latest £115m boost to housebuilding through the Brownfield Housing Fund will unlock good, affordable homes, support skilled construction jobs and apprenticeships, and open routes for further investment.
“We will continue to use our devolved powers and funding to prioritise brownfield land for development, working together to exceed our targets for delivering the new homes that we know Greater Manchester needs.”
A total of 75% of the schemes would be built to Future Homes Standard
The prioritised funding commits £71.8 million in year two and up to £57.5 million in year three. This is aiming to unlock more than 7,800 new homes across the 10 boroughs. Year one funding, announced last year, allocated £51.1 million to the building of 3,900 new homes.
Of the 7,800 homes planned for the second and third phases of the scheme, over half (almost 4,000 homes) would be affordable.
Seventy-nine per cent of schemes would be built to Future Homes Standard and five of the proposed schemes would aim to build homes that operate with zero or negative carbon emissions, in line with the GM Truly Affordable Net Zero Homes (TANZ) Task Force definitions.
A variety of approaches to reduce carbon and energy impacts are being proposed, including using passive build techniques. Greater Manchester Combined Authority will work with partners to achieve optimum performance for these projects and to capture learning as we drive toward the net zero requirements set out in its Places for Everyone plan.
The schemes will support Greater Manchester’s economic growth and boost opportunities available to city-region residents, by providing jobs in the construction industry and skilled apprenticeships and bringing additional investment into the region.
