21.08.14
First wave of projects to build 200,000 new homes revealed
The first wave of projects to benefit from the government’s £1bn large infrastructure fund, which is aimed at unlocking or accelerating the provision of more than 200,000 new homes across the country, has been announced.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles published the shortlist of 36 large-scale housing projects in line to receive a share of £850m of funding to get work going onsite and house building started. In total the first wave of projects are expected to deliver approximately 113,500 new properties.
The funding, which forms part of the government’s five-year large infrastructure programme, will be used to build the infrastructure required to provide schemes of at least 1,500 homes in areas all across the UK. The money will also go towards providing road improvements, schools and parks to support the extra homes being planned.
Pickles said: “This government’s long-term economic plan is getting Britain building again. Residential construction is now at its highest level since 2007 and continuing to rise, and 216,000 new homes were given planning permission last year.
“We are supporting locally-led development, and this £1 billion programme will help unlock or accelerate over 200,000 new homes across the country.”
As well as the £1 billion loan funding, the large sites infrastructure programme also includes £12.5 million capacity funding and expert planning and technical support for councils dealing with large-scale sites, as well as brokerage support from central government to unblock obstacles to development.
The full shortlist of 36 bids, published by the Homes and Communities Agency, are:
- The continued development of the Greenwich Peninsula in South East London, to help provide nearly 10,000 homes
- The redevelopment of the former Rugby Radio Station site, to help provide 6,200 homes
- The Monkton Heathfield development outside Taunton, to help provide 4,500 homes
- The DN7 initiative in Doncaster, to help provide over 3,000 new homes
- The Bishop Stortford North development in East Hertfordshire, to help to provide 2,200 homes
- The New Lubbesthorpe development in Leicester, to provide over 4,000 homes
- The development of North Wellingborough, to help provide 3,000 new homes
- The redevelopment of Arborfield Garrison in Wokingham, to help provide 2,000 homes
- The Langarth development in Truro, to help provide 1,500 homes
- The Cheeseman’s Green development in Ashford, to help provide 1,500 homes
- The Dallington Grange development in Northampton, to help provide 3,400 homes
- The development at Lawley Village in Telford, to help provide 2,500 homes
- The Newcourt Urban Extension in Exeter, to help provide over 2,000 homes
- The East Kettering development, to help provide 5,500 homes
- The development at Hunts Grove in Gloucester, to help provide 1,750 homes
- The Barwell development at Hinckley and Bosworth, to help provide 2,500 homes
- The Branston Locks development in East Staffordshire, to help provide 2,500 homes
- The development at the Festival Gardens site in Liverpool, to help provide over 1,500 homes
- The Bath Riverside development, to help provide nearly 1,900 homes
- The Colchester North Growth Area Urban Extension, to help provide 1,600 homes
- The Weston Airfield development in North Somerset, to help provide over 2,500 homes
- Ebbsfleet Valley, to help provide over 3,500 homes – this site forms 1 part of the larger area that the proposed Ebbsfleet Development Corporation would cover as part of the 15,000 home Ebbsfleet Garden City initiative
- Overstone Leys development in Daventry, to help provide 2,000 homes
- The North West Bicester development, to help provide over 5,500 homes
- The Welborne development at Fareham, which will help provide 5,400 homes
- The Middle Deepdale development at Scarborough, which will help provide 2,300 homes
- the Thetford North development in Breckland, to help provide 5,000 homes
- Acton Gardens in Ealing, to help provide over 2,500 homes
- The Lincolnshire Lakes development in Scunthorpe, to help provide 3,500 homes
- The Whitfield development in Dover, to help provide over 5,700 homes
- The Beaulieu development in Chelmsford, to help provide 3,600 homes
- The Bela Priors Hall development in Corby, to help provide nearly 3,000 homes
- The Alphington development near Exeter, to help provide 1,500 homes
- The Wood Wharf development in London, to help provide over 3,000 homes
- The West Witney development in Oxfordshire, to help provide 1,500 homes
(Image: c. John Blower)
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