Brownfield Cash Boost

With political parties of all persuasions looking to make big announcements following the party conferences, it came as no surprise that over £60 million was released in autumn 2023 to help drive housebuilding and regeneration. Termed the “Brownfield Land Release Fund 2”, the money has been released to specific local authorities to help bring forward over 6,000 new homes on brownfield sites across the country.

 

Councils within the South-East have received a fair proportion of the funding, with Medway Council being the second highest recipient in the country, receiving just under £4 million. Folkestone & Hythe Council and Maidstone Borough Council both received significant funding at £2.5 million and just over £2.1 million respectively.

 

Other South-East-based authorities, such as Adur District Council (£268,485), Brighton and Hove Council (£526,400), Dover District Council (£480,000), Swale Borough Council (£943,499), Thanet District Council (£685,275) and Waverley Borough Council (£115,000) were also recipients of BLRF2 Funding.

 

We hope this provides the impetus and confidence to help encourage more town centre and brownfield development opportunities, and if managed properly will assist in kickstarting many private sector-led schemes too.

 

In addition to this funding, Gravesham Council have been awarded £20m from central government as part of their ‘Levelling Up’ fund to provide for improvements to St Georges’ Square in the Town Centre. These improvements will include community, retail and leisure spaces, a new Civic Centre, theatre and additional housing.

 

The project is one of four across the South-East to receive a share of £70 million from the round three funding, the others being Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and Andover.

 

Following the news, the leader of the borough council Cllr John Burden (Lab) said: “This funding will make a real difference to the lives of the residents of some of the country’s most deprived wards which can be found within our urban areas of Gravesend and Northfleet, as well as bringing wider benefits to the whole Gravesham community.

 

‘There is a reason that the government identified Gravesham as a priority 1 area for levelling-up, as we experience some of the greatest health and well-being inequalities right here in our borough’.

 

Hopefully these measures will see some meaningful improvements within our town centres within the next few years, increasing footfall and public spending in these vital locations.