Third Round of Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 Open
The UK Government has revealed that £80 million will be used to transform neglected land into new homes. How will this help councils to create thriving communities?
Councils across England can now bid for a share of the final round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2.
The latest round will release land for over 8,000 new homes by March 2028, helping to create thousands of construction jobs and transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work while protecting green spaces.
Thousands of jobs will be created through the funding
Lee Rowley, Minister for Housing explained that this funding is part of the overall strategy to levelling up: “We want to build the new homes people need and brownfield land is crucial to delivering the Long-Term Plan for Housing, as part our of mission to level up the country.”
Continuing, he added that the focus is on benefitting people: “This fund will transform unloved and unused brownfield sites into thriving new communities, helping more young families onto the property ladder and creating thousands of jobs.”
This is a game changer for councils and I strongly encourage them to apply and reap the benefits in their local areas.
The fund is part of the government’s long-term plan for housing which prioritises brownfield land for new homes.
It is part of the £10 billion that the government have announced over this Parliament to invest in projects that aim to boost housing supply.
Councils will be able to address their local housing needs
The £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 was launched in July 2022 and is designed to help bring neglected urban areas back into use, support regeneration projects and boost local economies.
Projects in areas including Bognor Regis, Rochdale and Somerset have been supported by the previous round of funding. This has helped to unlock new homes, as well as supported accommodation for homeless people.
Chair of the Local Government Association Shaun Davies highlighted that the collaboration has supported councils massively: “Following the success of the first two rounds of BLRF2 funding, I am pleased the LGA continues its partnership with DLUHC and Cabinet Office helping councils to access the latest round of this fund, which provides much-needed capital grants to bring surplus council-owned sites forward for housing.”
Shaun added that this funding will support councils to understand how they can make a difference for their communities: “The One Public Estate programme has helped to shape this latest funding offer to ensure it can help as many councils as possible bring forward viable housing schemes on their land.
“I would urge councils to consider how this third round of BLRF2 can help them address local housing needs, and support placemaking and regeneration ambitions.”
The full brownfield fund is due to deliver over 17,600 new homes and 56,000 skilled new jobs over the next four years, helping to level up communities across the country.
There have been two rounds of funding allocations already announced in November 2022 and October 2023 and to date, the fund is supporting 89 local authorities, and over 160 projects, and has provided over £100 million to support councils to release land for almost 8,600 homes.
Cabinet Officer Minister Alex Burghart said that brownfield land has the potential to help create needed thriving communities: “This funding will help unlock much-needed redevelopment of unloved, previously derelict brownfield sites: stimulating growth, investment, and job opportunities.”
It’s fantastic news for business, and even better news for local people who will now see new family homes in their communities.
A brownfield-first approach is at the heart of the UK Government’s planning reforms through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which is now law.
