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Councils miss out on government’s promised housing infrastructure funding
Several councils promised tens of millions of pounds by the government through its Housing Infrastructure Fund have missed out on the money, while others are still unsure of the status of their bids, Inside Housing can reveal.
Croydon, Hackney, Kettering, Maldon, Peterborough and Rushcliffe councils have all told Inside Housing that their bids have been unsuccessful, even though they were included on a list of councils that would receive money last year.
The unsuccessful bids were uncovered by Inside Housing after the government published an updated version of its Housing Infrastructure Fund list, which saw 76 councils given £611m to 94 infrastructure projects.
This was far fewer than the 110 councils that were initially promised £866m by chancellor Philip Hammond last February for 133 projects, through the Marginal Viability Fund.
As well as the six councils whose bids were rejected, three said they had had no correspondence with Homes England, five said they had withdrawn their bids to seek money from other government funds, six said they were still expecting to receive money at a later date, and 14 declined to comment or did not respond.
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The Marginal Viability Fund allocates up to £10m to projects requiring infrastructure to unblock a site.
Croydon Council, for example, had bid for £10m to help with its development of up to 967 homes on the site of a shopping centre. It wanted the money to improve transport links to the area.
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “It’s disappointing our £10m Housing Infrastructure Fund bid has been unsuccessful at the final round. As always, we are continuously looking at how and where bids can be made to win grant funding.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kettering Borough Council told Inside Housing the local authority was “deeply disappointed” that it will not receive the money to enable its 700-home site.
Some of the original list are still working through their bids with the government’s housing delivery agency, Homes England, but a source at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that the government has decided not to award money to every project.
This is despite a written statement to parliament last year from former housing secretary Sajid Javid, saying: “We will invest £866m to help unlock up to 200,000 new homes through 133 Marginal Viability Fund projects, within the Housing Infrastructure Fund.”
Inside Housing has asked the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) how many bids that were originally approved have now been rejected.
A spokesperson for MHCLG said: “We are providing £5.5 billion to put the infrastructure in place so we can build the homes our country needs.
“This is all part of our drive to deliver 300,000 homes each year, and ensure we have enough housing in areas where it is most needed.
“We are still working with a number of authorities on the details of their schemes.”
Housing Infrastructure Fund: The full list
| Local Authority | Project | HIF Funding (£) | Confirmed money? | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aylesbury Vale | Aylesbury Link Road & Junction Improvements to deliver major housing growth at Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) | 9,500,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Barnet | Finchley Central Station | 9,800,000 | No | Nothing in writing |
| Basildon | Basildon Town Centre - East Square Regeneration | 9,799,500 | No | Still engaging with Homes England |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Manydown | 10,300,000 | No | Still engaging with Homes England |
| Bath and North East Somerset | Bath Riverside | 12,500,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Brent | Northwick Park | 9,900,000 | No | No comment |
| Brent | Peel Development Site - South Kilburn Regeneration Programme | 9,999,442 | No | No comment |
| Camden | Abbey | 10,000,000 | No | Still expects to receive money |
| Central Bedfordshire | Dunstable Town Centre Regeneration | 6,300,000 | No | Haven't heard outcome yet |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Rossfield Park, Ellesmere Port | 3,000,000 | No | Have had nothing in writing from Homes England |
| Croydon | Whitgift Shopping Centre And Surrounding Land Croydon CR0 1LP - S278 transport works | 10,000,000 | No | Disappointed that the bid has been unsuccessful |
| Ealing | Grand Union Avenue Phase 3 | 1,000,000 | No | Expects separate announcement through GLA |
| Eastleigh | West of Horton Heath Strategic Development Proposal | 9,330,656 | No | Received money through Accelerated Housing Fund instead |
| Exeter | Greater Exeter Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space | 3,700,000 | No | |
| Hackney | Woodberry Down | 9,960,000 | No | No correspondence - disappointed to have been rejected |
| Harrow | Grange Farm | 10,000,000 | No | Still expects to receive money |
| Hastings | Combe Valley Sports Village | 2,225,000 | No | Withdrew bid and obtained money through Accelerated Housing Fund instead |
| Kettering | Desborough North Marginal Viability Bid | 3,636,476 | No | Deeply disappointed, pursuing alternatives |
| Lambeth | 8 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SP | 10,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Lambeth | Somerleyton Road, Brixton | 10,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Lewisham | South Circular Road - Catford Town Centre | 10,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Lewisham | Lewisham Gateway | 10,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Lincoln | Spa Road development | 2,824,579 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Maldon | Heybridge Flood Alleviation and Regeneration Scheme | 7,344,700 | No | Withdrew application as was unable to meet the criteria |
| Manchester | Moss Side Integrated Healthcare Centre, Bowes Street, Moss Side | 3,314,256 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| North Somerset | Provision of utilities to land at Parklands Village | 930,974 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Northumberland | St Georges Hospital Link Road | 4,491,278 | No | Withdrew having secured alternative funding |
| Peterborough | Yaxley Loop Road | 4,570,000 | No | Withdrew due to not having enough financial information |
| Plymouth | North Prospect Regeneration Phase 4 | 2,825,550 | No | |
| Rushcliffe | South of Clifton Housing Infrastructure | 9,995,239 | No | Bid was unsuccessful |
| Sedgemoor | East of Bridgwater Allocation | 5,500,000 | No | Put the bid into broader application for forward funding money |
| South Norfolk | Land south of the A11, Cringleford | 5,500,000 | No | Withdrew application and is in discussions over accessing Accelerated Housing Fund |
| Southend-on-Sea | Better Queensway (BQ) | 15,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Swindon | New Eastern Villages - Rowborough Eastern Access | 5,000,000 | No | Did not respond to Inside Housing |
| Trafford | Future Carrington - Phase 1 | 8,400,000 | No | Working closely with Homes England |
| Trafford | Partington Canalside | 6,714,000 | No | Working closely with Homes England |
| West Dorset | Chickerell Urban Extension | 1,500,000 | No | No response |
| Wycombe | Princes Risborough Expansion Area | 12,000,000 | No | No response |
| Wycombe | Realignment of Abbey Barn Lane and junction reconfiguration | 7,500,000 | No | No response |
| Adur | Free Wharf - Western Harbour Arm (Shoreham-By-Sea) | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Barnsley | Seasons Phase 3, Thurnscoe Housing Development | 2,227,270 | Yes | |
| Bolton | Rivington Chase | 12,000,000 | Yes | |
| Boston | Quadrant Q1 Boston | 3,500,000 | Yes | |
| Breckland | Thetford Northern Sustainable Urban Extension (TNSUE) | 9,950,000 | Yes | |
| Brighton and Hove | King Alfred Development | 15,222,601 | Yes | |
| Bristol | Unlocking Lockleaze Development | 6,686,000 | Yes | |
| Bristol | Glencoyne Square Access (Arnside and Glencoyne Square Regeneration) | 3,000,000 | Yes | |
| Chelmsford | Chelmer Waterside | 5,700,000 | Yes | |
| Cheltenham | Portland Street, Cheltenham | 3,000,000 | Yes | |
| Cherwell | Howes Lane Tunnel. Part of North West Bicester Strategic Realignment of Howes Lane | 6,700,000 | Yes | |
| Cheshire East | North West Crewe Growth and Infrastructure Package | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Cheshire East | South Macclesfield Development Area | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Colchester | Northern Gateway | 5,500,000 | Yes | |
| Corby | A43/Steel Road Roundabout | 3,973,252 | Yes | |
| Cornwall | Hayle Harbour North Quay Redevelopment - Phase II Access Spine Road | 5,655,000 | Yes | |
| Cornwall | West Carclaze Garden Village | 2,300,000 | Yes | |
| County Durham | Newton Aycliffe Housing Growth | 6,875,000 | Yes | |
| Coventry | Eastern Green Unlocking Development | 12,727,700 | Yes | |
| Crawley | Telford Place | 2,000,000 | Yes | |
| Crawley | Forge Wood | 4,423,280 | Yes | |
| Darlington | West Park Garden Village | 2,788,360 | Yes | |
| Derby | Castleward Urban Village | 3,150,000 | Yes | |
| Dover | Dover Rapid Bus Transit | 15,803,269 | Yes | |
| East Cambridgeshire | Soham Eastern Gateway | 6,330,000 | Yes | |
| East Devon | Axminster North-South Relief Road (ANSRR) | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| East Dorset | West of New Road Link | 2,250,000 | Yes | |
| Eastbourne | Bedfordwell Road | 1,230,000 | Yes | |
| Eastleigh | Construction of a bypass | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Fareham | Welborne Garden Village | 9,977,045 | Yes | |
| Fylde | M55 Heyhouses | 3,810,000 | Yes | |
| Guildford | Ash Road Bridge, to unlock housing near Ash and Tongham | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| High Peak | Hogshaw and Granby Road sites, Buxton | 2,000,000 | Yes | |
| Ipswich | Ipswich Garden Suburb (IGS) | 9,868,351 | Yes | |
| Leeds | Roundhay Road | 990,000 | Yes | |
| Leeds | Land East of Otley | 6,318,000 | Yes | |
| Leicester | Ashton Green | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Lewes | North Street Quarter, Lewes | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Manchester | New Victoria Corporation | 10,074,000 | Yes | |
| Mid Devon | Cullompton and Culm | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Mid Devon | Tiverton Eastern Urban Extension | 8,200,000 | Yes | |
| Mid Sussex | Northern Arc, Western Gateway | 6,540,000 | Yes | |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Ouseburn - Ouseburn Mouth | 1,250,000 | Yes | |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Science Central | 5,000,000 | Yes | |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Outer West Infrastructure | 9,656,714 | Yes | |
| North Devon | Ilfracombe | 6,500,000 | Yes | |
| North Devon | Westacott, Barnstaple, North Devon | 2,080,000 | Yes | |
| North Dorset | Gillingham Strategic Site Allocation | 4,064,250 | Yes | |
| North Kesteven | Sleaford West | 2,000,000 | Yes | |
| North Tyneside | Killingworth Moor Key Strategic Site | 8,900,000 | Yes | |
| Norwich | Anglia Square | 12,226,232 | Yes | |
| Oldham | Broadway Green Phase 2 | 4,947,274 | Yes | |
| Oxford | Northern Gateway | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Oxford | Blackbird Leys District Centre Regeneration Scheme | 3,750,000 | Yes | |
| Oxford | Osney Mead Innovation Quarter (OMIQ) | 6,090,000 | Yes | |
| Poole | Poole Town Centre Regeneration - Phase II (Town Centre North) | 6,000,000 | Yes | |
| Reading | Dee Park Regeneration | 6,000,000 | Yes | |
| Reading | Central Pool | 1,392,636 | Yes | |
| Rother | Blackfriars, Battle | 3,240,000 | Yes | |
| Rushmoor | Aldershot Town Centre | 8,400,000 | Yes | |
| Salford | Plot E7/E8 Chapel Street | 1,176,819 | Yes | |
| Selby | Olympia Park | 8,878,000 | Yes | |
| Sheffield | Manor Cluster | 3,552,558 | Yes | |
| Shropshire | Western Shropshire Interchange Improvements | 9,321,963 | Yes | |
| South Bucks | Beaconsfield Relief Road | 4,472,144 | Yes | |
| South Holland | Northern Spalding Sustainable Urban Extension and Section 5 of the Spalding Western Relief Road | 12,000,000 | Yes | |
| South Somerset | Brimsmore Key Site, Thorne Lane, Yeovil, Somerset | 1,950,000 | Yes | |
| Southampton | Townhill Park Regeneration | 3,750,000 | Yes | |
| Stockport | Stockport Interchange | 2,600,000 | Yes | |
| Stockport | Hopes Carr | 303,815 | Yes | |
| Stockport | Weir Mill | 5,617,000 | Yes | |
| Stockton-on-Tees | West Stockton SUE | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Burslem Town Centre | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Stratford-on-Avon | Long Marston Airfield | 13,438,417 | Yes | |
| Swale | Queenborough & Rushenden Regeneration | 3,500,000 | Yes | |
| Swindon | Kingsdown Bridge | 6,500,000 | Yes | |
| Tameside | Godley Green Garden Village | 10,000,000 | Yes | |
| Taunton Deane | Staplegrove Spine Road | 7,200,000 | Yes | |
| Teignbridge | Dawlish Link Bridge | 4,200,000 | Yes | |
| Tewkesbury | Tewkesbury Ashchurch Housing Zone - Access to the North | 8,132,465 | Yes | |
| Thanet | Manston/Haine Roundabout | 2,544,384 | Yes | |
| Thurrock | Claudian Way, Chadweel St Mary | 538,000 | Yes | |
| Trafford | Trafford Waters | 4,080,000 | Yes | |
| Vale of White Horse | Wantage Eastern Link | 7,717,989 | Yes | |
| Wakefield | City Fields | 1,577,500 | Yes | |
| Warrington | Centre Park Link | 3,685,904 | Yes | |
| Warwick | Kenilworth Education | 9,591,000 | Yes | |
| West Berkshire | Sterling Cables | 1,500,000 | Yes | |
| West Lindsey | Gainsborough Southern Urban Extension | 2,123,184 | Yes | |
| Weymouth and Portland | Ocean Views | 2,838,000 | Yes | |
| Wiltshire | Ashton Park Urban Extension | 8,784,000 | Yes | |
| Wirral | Northbank | 6,004,160 | Yes | |
| Woking | Sheerwater Regeneration | 9,384,000 | Yes | |
| Wyre Forest | Churchfields Urban Village - Highway Infrastructure | 2,700,000 | Yes |
