Propertymark has welcomed the Government’s £80m brownfield regeneration scheme, which aims to transform neglected council-owned land into new homes.
From today (Wednesday 13th December), councils in England will be able to bid for a share of the final round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2.
The latest round will release land for more than 8,000 new homes by March 2028 – potentially counting thousands of construction jobs and transform underused sites, while protecting green spaces.
The £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 was launched in July 2022, designed to help to bring neglected urban areas back into use, support regeneration projects and boost local economies.
The full brownfield fund is due to deliver more than 17,600 new homes and 56,000 skilled new jobs over the next four years.
There were two rounds of funding allocations announced in November 2022 and October 2023, and to date, the fund has supported 89 local authorities, more than 160 projects, and over £100m to support councils to release land for nearly 8,600 homes.
A brownfield-first approach was at the heart of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act.
In January, Propertymark responded to a consultation on the design and implementation of the Building Safety Levy.
The levy will be paid by developers and charged on new residential buildings requiring building control approval in England, for the purpose of meeting building safety expenditure.
Propertymark argued in January that applying different levy rates for brown and greenfield sites would offer a joined-up approach following the announcement of the Brownfield Land Release Fund.
Propertymark said that increasing development on brownfield sites would have three main benefits: first, unlocking land for housing needs; second, boosting regional and local economies and increase local supply chains; third, protecting the local environment and greenfield spaces.
Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark at Propertymark, said: “Propertymark welcomes this pledge from the UK Government to increase development on brownfield land within town and city centres, especially where there is already a huge demand for housing.
“However, it is vital that thought goes into the type, tenure and location of these homes to ensure that the correct balance is stuck to enable the country to receive the correct housing infrastructure it desperately needs.”
