Should 210 new homes be built on Merton Meadow? The discussion comes after the news late in 2021 that Herefordshire Council would receive £2 million in funding for the scheme from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Similar support for schemes in other areas such as Worcester and Exeter were also announced.
Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford & Herefordshire South was delighted when the news was announced back in October 2021.
Thousands of new homes will be built on underused and derelict land to regenerate local areas and help people onto the property ladder, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced today (12 October 2021).
Almost £58 million from the £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) has been allocated to 53 councils.
The funding will boost local areas by transforming unloved and disused sites into vibrant communities for people to live and work, with the demolition of unsightly derelict buildings and disused car parks and garages. This will help to protect countryside and green spaces while an extra 5,600 homes are built on these sites, supporting young people and families across the country into home ownership.
The funding could also support up to 17,000 jobs across the housing and construction sector and the wider economy.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove MP said:
We are levelling up and backing home ownership in every corner of the country, delivering new high-quality, affordable homes and creating thriving places where people want to live, work and visit.
Making the most of previously developed land is a government priority and it will help protect our cherished countryside and green spaces.
Today’s allocations include £5 million for self and custom build projects. A further £20 million from the BLRF has also been designated to help accelerate the self and custom build sector, with councils now able to bid for the remaining funding – giving local people the opportunity to build and design their own homes.
Cabinet Office Minister, Lord Agnew said:
This support being provided to local authorities is another clear demonstration of this government’s commitment to levelling up the country.
The latest projects to benefit from this support, through Brownfield Land Release funding, will not only help unlock under-used public sector sites for homes but also help deliver jobs and save taxpayers’ money.
Cllr James Jamieson, Local Government Association Chairman, said:
One Public Estate and Brownfield Land Release funding play a crucial role in supporting the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and supporting councils to transform their assets, create better services, and release land for much-needed new homes and regeneration across the country.
This latest news is more proof that this programme works. Councils recognise how valuable this support is, and are being ever more ambitious in their ideas to use this funding to kick-start transformation, regeneration, and new development in their communities.
Boosting housing supply is central to the levelling up agenda. Last year 244,000 homes were delivered – the highest number of new homes for over 30 years. The government aims to build up to 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s to put home ownership within reach for more people across the country, making it a more mainstream, realistic and affordable option for people across the country.
The government last year announced the £400 million Brownfield Fund for 7 mayoral combined authorities which will also deliver much-needed new homes on brownfield land – unlocking 26,000 high-quality homes.
The £150 million backed Help to Build scheme was announced in April. It will allow access to low deposit mortgages and improve affordability of home ownership for people who want to build their own homes in a similar way to the Help to Buy scheme.
In addition, the review by Richard Bacon MP, which recommended a major scaling up of the self and custom build sector, has been warmly welcomed by the government with a response to the findings to be published in due course.
Further information
£57.8 million from the £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) is being allocated, of which £25 million was made available to self and custom build projects.
£5 million from the self and custom build pot has been allocated and now local councils are being encouraged to bid for the remaining share of £20 million to deliver further self and custom build projects on Brownfield Land.
Find out more about the latest round of One Public Estate and self and custom build funding.
The BLRF is delivered by the One Public Estate programme which is a collaboration between DLUHC, the Local Government Association and the Cabinet Office.
A further £6 million is available to local councils in England through the One Public Estate programme, which aims to help local public services collaborate, redesign how services are located, and release land for housing.
| Council name | Project name | Funding award |
|---|---|---|
| Adur District Council | Ashcroft Sheltered Housing Scheme | £407,000 |
| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Clarendon Road Site | £195,000 |
| Bracknell Forest Council | Opladen Way | £119,600 |
| Bracknell Forest Council | Depot site | £570,666 |
| Bracknell Forest Council | Market Street | £1,650,000 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Hinton Close Garage Site | £43,311 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Dunster Close Garage Site | £22,137 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Dunster Close Hammerhead Site | £38,962 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Oakley House Housing Project | £93,031 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Natal Road Site | £35,465 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Eastergate Road Housing Project | £231,385 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Moulsecoomb Hub and Housing | £1,694,287 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Portsalde Village Centre | £338,534 |
| Bristol City Council | Tenants Hall – Barton Hill | £199,521 |
| Broxbourne Borough Council | Hope Nursery | £160,000 |
| City of York | Former Tang Hall Library | £116,865 |
| City of York | Chaloners Road Garage Court | £94,356 |
| City of York | Ordnance Lane | £2,429,258 |
| Cornwall Council | Pydar Regeneration | £2,450,000 |
| Council of the Isles of Scilly | Ennor Farm, Isles of Scilly | £664,250 |
| Derby City Council | Union Foundry, Derby | £825,000 |
| Dorset Council | Furzehill | £775,000 |
| Dorset Council | White Pit Farm | £150,000 |
| Dorset Council | Blandford Depot | £235,000 |
| Dorset Council | North Quay | £943,255 |
| Durham County Council | Greenwood Avenue, Burnhope Durham | £405,924 |
| Durham County Council | Chaytor Road, Bridgehill, Durham | £220,142 |
| Eastbourne Borough Council | Cavalry Crescent | £200,000 |
| Eastbourne Borough Council | Southfields Road car park | £200,000 |
| Eastbourne Borough Council | Fort Lane | £70,000 |
| Eastleigh Borough Council | The Arch, Chandlers Ford | £260,000 |
| Essex County Council | Hargraves House | £145,800 |
| Essex County Council | Lexden Springs | £371,000 |
| Exeter City Council | Cathedral and Quay Car Park | £2,373,183 |
| Exeter City Council | Bonhay meadows | £1,009,870 |
| Exeter City Council | Exeter Canal Basin | £600,000 |
| Exeter City Council | Belle Isle | £673,417 |
| Exeter City Council | Mary Arches Car Park | £1,310,000 |
| Fenland District Council | Fenland Nene Waterfront | £200,000 |
| Folkestone & Hythe District Council | Biggins Wood | £1,150,000 |
| Great Yarmouth Borough Council | Beach Coach Station | £207,272 |
| Harrogate Borough Council | Woodfield Close, Harrogate | £20,000 |
| Harrogate Borough Council | Park Row, Knaresborough | £30,000 |
| Hastings Borough Council | Bexhill Road, St Leonards on Sea | £142,000 |
| Herefordshire Council | Merton Meadow | £2,000,000 |
| Isle of Wight Council | Thompson House, Sandy Lane, Newport | £135,000 |
| Isle of Wight Council | Weston Road | £195,265 |
| Isle of Wight Council | Berry Hill | £619,500 |
| Leicester City Council | Forest Lodge Education Centre | £443,400 |
| London Borough of Barnet | Fosters Estate | £1,510,000 |
| London Borough of Barnet | Little Strand | £270,000 |
| London Borough of Camden | West Kentish Town phase 1 | £1,323,777 |
| London Borough of Camden | Heybridge & Hadley Street | £242,500 |
| London Borough of Haringey | Gourley Triangle | £1,435,540 |
| London Borough of Haringey | Ashley Rd Depot | £2,450,674 |
| London Borough Of Lewisham Council | Greystead Road SE23 | £385,519 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Chingford Hub | £347,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Rowan House | £164,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Russell Road | £259,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Lea Bridge Stations Site | £1,079,320 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Cedarwood House | £328,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Erskine Road Car Park | £142,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Osbourne Grove | £364,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | Outset Centre | £338,000 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | The Ferguson Centre | £351,000 |
| Newark and Sherwood District Council | Stodman Street | £284,000 |
| North Devon Council | Bicclescombe Depot | £500,000 |
| North Somerset Council | Walliscote Place | £1,075,000 |
| Nottingham City Council | Colwick Road | £52,000 |
| Nottingham City Council | Innovation House | £100,000 |
| Nottingham City Council | Robin Hood Chase | £70,000 |
| Oxford City Council | Underhill Circus | £479,440 |
| Peterborough City Council | Middleholme | £550,000 |
| Plymouth City Council | Victoria Place | £177,500 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Sunward Road | £120,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Cabbagefield Row | £1,663,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Ernest Road | £90,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Beaulieu Avenue Garages | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Beaulieu Avenue Parking Court | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Rownhams Road | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Kingsclere Avenue | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | High Lawn Way | £90,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Kimbridge Crescent | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Marldell Road | £90,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Longstock Road | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Forestside | £60,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | Whitsbury Road | £90,000 |
| RB Kensington and Chelsea | Hurstway and Testerton | £509,188 |
| Reading Borough Council | Phase 1, Minster Quarter | £2,000,000 |
| Richmond upon Thames Council | Twickenham Riverside | £599,522 |
| Richmond upon Thames Council | Elleray Community Hall and Housing Scheme | £250,000 |
| Rother District Council | King Offa Residential | £500,000 |
| Royal Borough of Greenwich | Catlin Street Old Kent Road | £350,000 |
| South Gloucestershire Council | The Grange, Warmley | £2,020,000 |
| South Tyneside Council | Holborn Riverside Regeneration | £1,850,000 |
| Staffordshire County Council | Eastgate Regeneration Programme | £581,800 |
| Stevenage Borough Council | Brent Court | £750,000 |
| Stroud District Council | Cambridge House Dursley | £94,000 |
| Stroud District Council | Glebelands, Cam | £215,000 |
| Stroud District Council | Orchard Road Ebley | £50,000 |
| Stroud District Council | Gloucester Street | £62,000 |
| Teignbridge District Council | Orchard Lane | £275,000 |
| Teignbridge District Council | Howton Fields | £585,474 |
| Torbay Council | Brixham TCCP | £675,000 |
| Torbay Council | Torre marine | £415,000 |
| West Oxfordshire District Council | Chipping Norton Exemplar | £78,000 |
| Wiltshire Council | Salisbury Rawlence Road HRA | £88,583 |
| Wiltshire Council | Amesbury Imber Avenue HRA | £89,750 |
| Wokingham Borough Council | Self-build – Toutley East, Wokingham | £494,000 |
| Worcestershire County Council | Shrubhill Quarter, Worcester | £985,000 |
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
