The Government has announced £40M in start-up funding to support infrastructure, including road building, as part of plans to build a further 100,000 homes in 45 towns and cities.
Ministers hope the proposals will deliver homes aimed at helping first-time buyers on to the property ladder, and enable towns and cities to grow their economies by creating new jobs and encouraging business development.
The areas involved include major cities including Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol, as well as large and small towns such as Swindon, Reading and Ipswich, Grantham, Thetford and Maidstone.
Yvette Cooper, minister for housing and planning, said: ‘Helping our towns and cities which want to grow can make a substantial difference in delivering the new homes we need. This gives local areas the chance to provide more jobs and homes with higher design and environmental standards too.’
The areas involved will be called ‘new growth points’ and the Government hopes they will become good examples of ‘sustainability by pioneering eco-development and encapsulating high design standards’.
However, levels and locations of growth are subject to full public consultation, testing, and examination through local and regional planning processes.
Watch: Cadaema’s David Parrett on getting a grip on council estates
David Parrett, Director at Cadaema Consulting Services, talks to LocalGov about why councils lack basic data on their buildings and what they can do about it.
