The Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 (Round 2) for 2023 is now open for bids from councils, with £60 million available to revive brownfield sites in council ownership to make way for high quality new homes. Make sure your council is aware of this important source of funding if you are working with them on sites.
This is part of the Government’s plan to prioritise brownfield land for new housing, transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work, while safeguarding green spaces.
This is the second allocation of £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund, with the remainder being rolled out over next two years. £35m of the £180 million fund has already been allocated to areas nationwide.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced the fund was open for bids from the 18 January, to boost home building and local economies. It is expected the funding is capable of delivering 5,800 new homes by March 2027, create around 18,000 new jobs in the housing and construction sector, while helping thousands of first-time buyers into homeownership.
For this round there is no ring-fenced funding element for custom and self build, but sites with self and custom build elements can definitely supply and should emphasise their innovation as examples of alternative housing models.
The prospectus states:
“Following on from Self and Custom Build (SCB), BLRF2 will continue to support councils to bring forward serviced self and custom build plots on brownfield land where this can be delivered in line with the fund criteria. Specifically, OPE will look to support councils who can provide replicable exemplars for delivery of serviced plots for self and custom-build housing on council land and stimulate wider delivery of serviced plots, as well as demonstrating support to the SME sector.”
Minister for Housing Rt Hon Lucy Frazer said: “We want to turn neglected areas into thriving new communities, as part of our mission level up the country. To do this we must prioritise brownfield land to deliver new homes for people, in the right places.
Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The LGA is delighted to continue to partner on the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) through our One Public Estate Programme. Councils are at the forefront of housing delivery, with BLRF2 supporting them to meet the needs of their communities by releasing their surplus land for new, high quality, energy efficient homes.”
The BLRF2 is delivered by One Public Estate, and application for this round must be submitted by 31 March 2023, with successful projects expected to be announced over the summer.
Find out more about the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2
