Wokingham Borough Council is set to receive £1.1 million to help prepare the ground for the delivery of 78 homes as part of the government’s plans to build 1,000 new homes in the south east on disused brownfield sites.
In today’s announcement, councils will be awarded a share of £16.2 million to transform neglected land into new homes, with the aim of transforming local communities, and helping families onto the property ladder.
The funding will mean councils can clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for homes.
Brownfield land is expensive to prepare for house building, meaning sites are sat empty and an eyesore for local communities.
With the funding, delivered through the Brownfield Land Release Fund, councils will be able to cover the cost of decontamination, clearing disused buildings, or improving infrastructure such as internet, water and power.
As a result, land will be released to enable 5,200 homes to be built across the country as a whole.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “From the outset we promised to get this country building again to deliver 1.5 million 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 house building 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”.
Wokingham Borough Council has been contacted for comment to confirm which brownfield sites will benefit from the funding.
