Press release

Government announces £8 million cash boost for vibrant new communities

Funds allocated to deliver up to 200,000 new homes in garden towns and villages and for councils to support new neighbourhood plans.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and The Rt Hon Esther McVey MP
Published
14 January 2020
photo of new housing with green lawns

Communities across England are set to benefit from thousands of new, better-designed homes thanks to an £8 million cash boost, Housing Minister Rt Hon Esther McVey MP has announced today (14 January 2020).

A total of £6 million will be allocated to help new locally-led garden towns and villages progress plans to deliver up to 200,000 new homes.

An additional £1.9 million will be given to councils in England to support new neighbourhood plans, allowing communities to get involved and have their say on the types of homes that are built and where.

Neighbourhood planning has been incredibly popular at the local level since it was introduced it in 2011 with nearly a million votes cast for neighbourhood plans and over 2,600 different communities coming forward with proposals.

Today’s funding allocation builds on the government’s commitment to giving communities a voice on the development in their areas, including prioritising local brownfield land while protecting the green belt.

Housing Minister Rt Hon Esther McVey MP said:

Communities have the local insight to decide what new homes should look like and the kind of infrastructure they need in their area. This is what neighbourhood planning is all about, so I’m pleased this funding will ensure that the right homes are built in the right places.

I am also announcing extra cash to deliver new vibrant garden communities, which will help deliver tens of thousands of well-designed new homes for hardworking families.

Today’s funding will support local authorities to deliver neighbourhood plans by:

  • providing advice and expertise to communities that want a neighbourhood plan
  • organising an independent examination of draft plans
  • hosting local referendums that give communities a final say on these plans
  • supporting communities who want to deliver new neighbourhood plans but have not been able to

Twenty one garden towns and villages already in the pipeline across England will receive a share of £6 million to progress their proposals towards delivering up to 200,000 new homes.

The cash injection will mean homes get built that otherwise would not. This is because it will be used for preparing environmental assessments and using the latest design techniques to develop areas people will be proud to be a part of.

The latest new garden community to receive backing from the government will be built at Wynyard, which has already received £150,000 and will make it the largest new settlement in the North East, delivering up to 6,800 new homes.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:

I am delighted that this funding has been approved and it is another example of the government’s commitment to projects in the Tees Valley – they are supporting my ambition to make our region a better place to live and work.

The proposed garden community will take more pressure off nearby developments when it comes to excessive building which is changing the character of our villages and towns for the worse and proving to be a real headache for residents. This announcement is more evidence that this government is listening to the concerns of people in this region and acting upon them.

Further information

Neighbourhood plans are led by community volunteers and parish councils, covering individual neighbourhoods and villages, and are supported by their local planning authority.

A list of councils receiving funding to support neighbourhood planning can be found below

See a list of all the 21 Garden Communities to receive funding in this round

Councils receiving funding to support neighbourhood planning

East of England

Babergh
Central Bedfordshire
Colchester
East Hertfordshire
Mid-Suffolk
North Hertfordshire

Yorkshire and Humber

Barnsley
Leeds
Wakefield

East Midlands

Bassetlaw
Daventry
Melton
North East Derbyshire
North West Leicestershire
Rutland
South Northamptonshire
Wellingborough
West Lindsey

London

Brent
Greenwich
Lambeth
Westminster

West Midlands

Cannock Chase
Herefordshire
North Warwickshire
Solihull
Stratford-on-Avon
Wychavon

North West

Cheshire East
Cheshire West and Chester
Rochdale
Stockport
West Lancashire

North East

Durham

South West

Cornwall
Dorset
Mendip
North Somerset
South Somerset
Wiltshire

South East

Fareham
Hart
Horsham
Maidstone
Milton Keynes
Rother
Runnymede
South Oxfordshire
Vale of White Horse
West Oxfordshire
Windsor and Maidenhead

Garden communities receiving funding

Place Capacity award Homes
Aylesbury £460,000 16,000
Basingstoke £200,000 10,000
Bicester £320,000 13,000
Didcot £100,000 15,000
Harlow & Gilston £580,000 24,000
North Essex (Colchester, Tendring & Braintree) £550,000 43,000
North Northants (Corby, Kettering & Wellingborough) £600,000 25,000
Otterpool Park, Folkestone £580,000 10,000
Taunton £340,000 13,000
St Cuthbert’s, Carlisle £320,000 10,300
Culm, Mid Devon £150,000 5,000
Dunton Hills £150,000 4,000
Halsnead £250,000 1,500
Handforth £150,000 1,600
Infinity, Derbyshire £150,000 3,700
Longmarston £150,000 3,500
Longcross £150,000 1,700
West Oxfordshire £150,000 2,200
Tresham £250,000 1,500
Welborne £150,000 6,000
West Carclaze £250,000 1,500

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Published 14 January 2020