Fund to Create New Jobs and Homes

New funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and One Public Estate is set to create 19,000 jobs and 17,000 new homes.

Funding has been awarded to more than 160 projects throughout England, delivering new jobs and homes as well as saving the taxpayer £34m as the Government continues its mission to build back better and level up.

One Public Estate – a national programme run by the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Local Government Association – has awarded £30m to successful cross-public sector projects as part of its levelling up agenda.

Along with this, Land Release Fund (LRF) investment will help and support councils to regenerate mainly brownfield sites by providing capital funding for the provision of infrastructure works to help enable councils bring the sites forward for much-needed housing.

Minister for State for Efficiency and Transformation, Lord Agnew, said: “This government is committed to levelling up across the country as we build back better from the pandemic, creating new jobs and homes in our towns and cities.

“The latest projects to benefit from £30m of One Public Estate funding will not only help unlock under-used public sector sites for homes but also help deliver jobs, better public services and save taxpayers’ money.”

The LRF has been given £20m in funding to help redevelop sites across England, demonstrating how seriously the Government is taking the commitment to level up throughout the country.

Projects include:

• £1.04m for projects in North Yorkshire for land remediation and infrastructure works to bring forward land for around 140 homes in Harrogate, Skipton and Knaresborough.
• £776k for a project in Gloucestershire to redevelop the derelict Brimscombe Port site in Stroud which will deliver around 150 homes as part of wider canal regeneration creating jobs, new enterprise opportunities and a nationally -important destination for canal tourism.

£10m has gone towards projects that support collaboration between local and central government and the wider public sector, aiming to achieve greater levels of efficiency and improve service delivery.

Awards include:

• £360k for projects in Cumbria, including bringing local authorities, the NHS and other key partners from the leisure sector together to deliver shared leisure and health services that will free up much-needed space in hospitals, reducing running costs by an estimated £390k per year.
• £95k for a project in Norfolk to redevelop a town centre site in Great Yarmouth. This will deliver a library and lifelong learning hub, while also bringing together library, children’s and advice services, and adult and community learning. It will include higher education provision and also release land for up to 89 new homes.

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