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Thousands of new homes to be built as government unlocks brownfield sites

ended 15. October 2024

Thousands of new homes are to be built as part of the government’s plans to get the country building again, create jobs and grow the economy as a multi-million-pound funding boost is given councils to unlock disused brownfield sites.

£68 million, announced today by the Prime Minister, will go directly to 54 councils who will be able to use the money to turn neglected land into new homes. It will transform local communities and help families onto the property ladder.

The funding will mean councils can clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for the homes. This category of land is expensive to prepare for housebuilding, 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.

The Prime Minister 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 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.”

Newspage asked property experts for their thoughts, below.

5 responses from the Newspage community

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Ben Perks
Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers
Any initiative to help ease the housing crisis should be welcomed, although there is a long way to go to get to 1.5m homes. But is brownfield development really the solution given the underlying work trends triggered by the pandemic? The WFH culture has gripped the nation and left thousands of commercial buildings on our high streets empty. An initiative to convert from commercial to residential would provide a quicker fix and reinvent the high street. There’s only so many coffee shops, charity shops and barbers required.
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Stephen Perkins
Managing Director at Yellow Brick Mortgages
5,000 homes is but a drop in the property demand ocean, and sadly will have no impact. This will especially be the case if developers then build expensive detached homes far outside of first-time buyer budgets. This scheme is more about headlines than a housing shortage solution.
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Andrew Baker
Managing Director at Soil Acoustics Ltd
In addition to housing supply and infastructure, the key issue from an environmental and economic point of view is the requirement to provide biodiversity net gain on all of these proposed developments. Brownfield sites are often the most biodiverse having been abandoned for many years where nature has been allowed to take over. They often support some of the last vestiges of rare species in built up and rural areas. This is not necessarily a barrier to development but it does mean considerable expense in terms of ecological survey licensing for protected species mitigation and the cost of biodiversity net gain, now a legal requirement under the environment act 2022. This is not a tree-hugger nimby issue, BNG has become law so there is an overall gain for nature, not necessarily on the site itself. Units can be bought on other sites where a 30yr lease can be signed to imporove the land for the sake of nature. Units can cost up to £25k per unit, maybe 10units per hectare.
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Justin Moy
Managing Director at EHF Mortgages
Any positive action to improve the housing supply shortage should be applauded. There is plenty of land not being used for any purpose so to use what is wasteland is extremely positive. The government needs to drive not only the use of the land but also have specific control over what is being built, ensure affordable homes are a priority, and allow first-time buyers to purchase one- and two-bedroom properties without inflated prices. Having sufficient numbers of builders, site clearers, and local council planning officers looks like a much tougher task though and will inevitably delay implementation.
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Sally Asling
Director at ProFind Property Recruitment
We are a small island. We don't need more buildings being built. We need to repurpose what we have. There are 700,000 homes in England that are unfurnished and standing empty. 261,000 of these are classed as 'long-term empty'. When we add in holiday short-lets and second homes, total vacancy sits at over 1 million homes, meaning that across England, 1 in every 25 homes is empty. This is what needs addressing as we have so much housing that needs repurposing. The government gave councils the EDMO (Empty Dwelling Management Orders) but didn't give money or resorce to deal with it. 260,000 long-term empty homes and 113,000 homeless families or single adults in temporary accommodation. So go and so the maths. The answer is right in front of your nose. Choosing to build new is NOT the answer. Repurposing derilict, empty and abandanoned homes should be the first port of call. Repurposing these properties could deliver £531 billion in value if redeveloped and planning eased.