London boroughs have been awarded millions of pounds to build homes on brownfield land.
Seven councils in the capital will be given funding to clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land that has sat empty to make way for over 1,000 houses across Camden, Haringey, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Croydon and Hackney.
The Government said on Tuesday that the cash will help to “end the region’s housing crisis and get hundreds more families onto the property ladder”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “From the outset we promised to get this country building again to deliver 1.5 million homes 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.”
Across the country, 54 councils were awarded a share of £68million from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund.
Local authorities in London will share £12.4million.
The three-year £180million fund was launched under the previous Conservative Government in July 2022 to allow local authorities in England to be able to build on blocked abandoned or underutilised land. The new Labour Government has vowed to deliver 1.5 million homes over this parliament.
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said: “The government is committed to a brownfield-first approach to housebuilding, and we have already taken steps to prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land through our proposals for a ‘brownfield passport’.”
Guy Nicholson, cabinet member for housing supply at Hackney council said: “Hackney like many inner London boroughs, is facing a severe housing crisis that includes many families on the Frampton Park Estate living in homes that simply don’t meet their needs.
“This much needed funding will not only kickstart the delivery of vital new homes – including new social rent housing – but also unlock the wider investment to provide better community facilities so the whole estate can benefit.”
It comes as plans for thousands of flats, as well as two new schools, a hotel, care home, shops, parks, offices and student accommodation, were submitted to Barking and Dagenham council.
The “new town” of up to 20,000 homes could be created on brownfield land which was formally home to Barking Power Station.
The application by Barking Riverside Ltd, a partnership between the Mayor of London and housing association L&Q, is one of the largest in the UK.
Mayor Sadiq Khan described the project as “a model of how to fix our housing crisis” and “a blueprint” for national Government to follow.
Borough |
Allocation |
Number of New Homes |
Camden |
£3.3million |
234 |
Haringey |
£2.7million |
225 |
Newham |
£1.7million |
350 |
Barking and Dagenham |
£1.3million |
137 |
Barnet |
£1.3million |
265 |
Croydon |
£1.2million |
86 |
Hackney |
£850,000 |
125 |
