£1.3 billion investment to deliver homes, infrastructure and jobs

The move is part of the government’s comprehensive plan to deliver upgrades to local infrastructure and boost skills to help fuel a green economic recovery.

Over 300 successful projects in England are being told they will receive a share of the £900 million Getting Building Fund, which was announced by the Prime Minister in June, to invest in shovel-ready housing and infrastructure projects, creating jobs and supporting economic recovery across the country.

The investment is expected to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and reduce around 65 million kgs of CO2 emissions across England.

To deliver a further 26,000 new homes while protecting greenfield sites, the government has also confirmed a £360 million investment in Mayoral Combined Authority areas through its £400 million Brownfield Fund.

A further £8 million of funding has also been announced to help speed up the delivery of these new homes on brownfield sites and the government is inviting ambitious bids from the Mayoral Combined Authorities for the remaining £40 million of the fund.

Details of the new £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme, which will see the government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, have also been announced.

Tradespeople must register for TrustMark accreditation to take part in the scheme, which will cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of low-carbon heating, like heat pumps or solar thermal – measures that could help homeowners including landlords save up to £600 a year on their energy bills.

Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.

The funding commitments come ahead of a radical overhaul of the planning system due to be announced shortly. The reforms will bring about a simpler, faster, people-focused system to deliver the high-quality, energy efficient homes we need.

As part of the changes, developers will have to contribute fairly to the infrastructure needed to sustain communities, ensure designs keep in with local character and work as part of a new interactive online planning system.

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