The department of Communities and Local Government has launched a £54m funding package to release land for thousands of homes as part of a new cross-government partnership to make smarter use of government-owned property.
The “Land Release Fund” is to work in tandem with the Cabinet Office and Local Government Association’s One Public Estate programme to push councils to release some of their unused or surplus land for housing.
Councils can bid for funding for land remediation and small-scale infrastructure to bring sites forward for housing that would not have otherwise been developed.
Alongside this, One Public Estate is making £9m available for councils to deliver property-focused programmes.
The move is aimed at unlocking enough council-owned land for at least 160,000 homes by 2020.
Housing and planning minister Alok Sharma said: “To build the homes this country needs, we need to increase the supply of land available to build more homes, more quickly.
“As a major landowner, local authorities have a crucial role to play in this task.
“Through this innovative cross-government partnership, we will be able to work with councils much more effectively, helping them to meet local housing needs and transform local areas.”
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