GOVERNMENT investment in Bromsgrove will see the development of brownfield sites leading to 50 new homes for the town.
Bromsgrove District Council will receive £722,000 from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund to accelerate the development of derelict buildings and disused land.
The council’s leader, Conservative councillor Karen May, has shared her delight at the announcement of ‘much needed housing provision’ in Bromsgrove’s town centre from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).
Coun May added: “While there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, this demonstrates the project is gaining momentum.
“Soon our residents will see action at these sites as we begin to transform the derelict buildings into much needed housing provision in our town centre.”
The funds are part of a £5.4 million investment to transform brownfield sites across the West Midlands, with Stoke-on-Trent City Council (£2.2 m – 153 homes), City of Wolverhampton Council (£1.4 m – 194 homes), and Worcestershire County Council (£1.1 m – 65 homes) also benefiting.
Worcestershire County Council’s share will go to transforming and regenerating the derelict Shrub Hill Quarter in Worcester.
As a whole, £180 million has been earmarked for local authorities as part of the three-year Brownfield Land Release Fund (launched in July 2022).
A total of £68 million has been announced today (Tuesday, October 15) by the Prime Minister, with 54 councils benefiting.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “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.”
To accelerate housing development and achieve the governments ambition to build 1.5 million homes it has also announced an overhaul of the planning system through a consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework.
The proposals have sparked fears among local authorities due to heavily increased ‘top-down’ annual housing targets for many, among other issues, however the Local Government Association has welcomed this latest news.
A New Homes Accelerator group to unblock thousands of homes stuck behind planning red tape or partially built is also being rolled out.
‘Brownfield passports’ are also being brough forward to ensure proposals which meet design and quality standards are given planning permission by default.
A New Towns Taskforce is also being launched as part of a long-term vision to create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
Earlier today it was also announced that tens of thousands of new homes will be built across Britain funded by over £550 million worth of impact investments.
