Stimulus package in wake of pandemic includes £360m for new homes
The UK government has confirmed a £900m funding boost for more than 300 “shovel-ready” projects in England in an effort to speed up construction of homes and infrastructure. As part of stimulus package aimed at boosting the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, £360m will also be allocated towards delivering 26,000 new homes on brownfield sites.
Officials said the extra investment would help to build up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and cut about 65m kg of CO2 emissions in England. Robert Jenrick, housing secretary, also gave more details on the £2bn green grants scheme for home improvements. This will help households to reduce energy use amid pressure on ministers to get the economy growing again with an emphasis on “green growth”.
Mr Jenrick said the funding would “help build the good quality, affordable homes the country needs” and “give a much-needed boost to our economic recovery”. The plans come after prime minister Boris Johnson’s promise in June to “build, build, build” infrastructure and houses in a push to create jobs quickly. Many of the projects will be in constituencies won last year by the Conservatives in the north and midlands.
Under the £2bn Green Homes Grant scheme, the government will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements for more than 600,000 homes. Tradespeople who are employed must have TrustMark accreditation to avoid scammers taking advantage.
Mr Jenrick had called for ideas from elected mayors and other regional leaders that could be completed within a year. Those backed include £12m towards a new station for the high-speed rail line near Ramsgate, Kent, that would cut journey times to London to an hour.
In central Manchester, £23m would be used to help redevelop Mayfield, a disused station, and build a new city park. The scheme should deliver 3,200 jobs and attract 1m visitors a year. Dan Jarvis, mayor of Sheffield city region, welcomed the £33m funding that his area secured but said its recovery plan required £1.7bn in total.
“Rather than providing us with piecemeal funding as they have been doing, I’m calling on the government to fully back our renewal action plan. With this plan, South Yorkshire stands ready to deliver not just recovery, but a renewal that tackles some of the deepest challenges facing our economy and society.”
Mr Jenrick will set out proposals this week for the biggest overhaul of England’s planning system for decades, launching a consultation on new plans that will order local councils to designate land either as “growth”, “renewal” or “protection” in an effort to tackle the acute housing shortage. Under the plans, land designated as “growth” by local councils will allow for the automatic granting of permission to new developments.
“Renewal” areas will be given “permission in principle”, to balance speed with necessary checks. Areas given “protection” status, including the greenbelt and areas of outstanding natural beauty, will not have any automatic building rights.
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