Kirklees Council is set to receive a £1.3m government cash boost to help tackle the housing crisis.
The funds are part of the larger £68m investment announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday 15 October, as part of the second Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2). This is to be split across 54 councils, enabling them to clear things like empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land which may otherwise be considered “eyesores” to make way for new properties.
The government says this will release enough land across the country to accommodate 5,200 new homes. Around 53 of these are expected to be built in Kirklees, with more set to be constructed on disused brownfield sites in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Among them is Hull City Council, which has been awarded £1.4m to provide 114 new homes. Meanwhile Wakefield Council has been awarded more than £1m to build 25 new homes and Sheffield City Council will benefit from £690k to create 33 new homes.
The three-year £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 was launched in July 2022 to allow local authorities in England to be able to build on blocked brownfield land.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “From the outset we promised to get this country building again to deliver 1.5m homes over this parliament and help tackle the housing crisis we have inherited. That is the essence of fixing the foundations and driving growth.
“I said this government is on the side of the builders, not the blockers. And I meant it. This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places that 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.
“This government is rolling up its sleeves and delivering the change the British people deserve.”
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said: “The government is committed to a brownfield-first approach to housebuilding, and we have already taken steps to prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land through our proposals for a ‘brownfield passport’.
“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”.
Councillor Louise Gittins, Chair of the Local Government Association, said: “We are delighted to continue our work with MHCLG, supporting councils to access the Brownfield Land Release Fund to remediate unviable council-owned brownfield land and bring it forwards for much needed homes.
“Delivered through the One Public Estate programme, BLRF is an important fund for English councils to unlock smaller sites and provides the flexibility for councils to deliver the types of homes their community needs at pace.”
