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West Midlands Combined Authority announces £200m brownfield fund
Developers will be able to access a £200m fund from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to unlock former industrial sites for housing.
The WMCA fund will open for applications in the new year and will help to obtain land for up to 12,000 homes. The exact sites have not yet been identified.
In return for funding, developers will be encouraged to build homes that are above and beyond the government’s forthcoming Future Homes Standard that is due to come into force in 2025, which includes tougher regulations on energy efficiency.
This includes installing homes with solar panels, additional insulation and heat pumps.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, described the new money as a war chest. “We must have a proper plan in place for future housebuilding in the region,” he said.
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Since 2017, WMCA has run a brownfield regeneration programme with over £750m of devolved funds, including a £350m housing deal negotiated in 2018.
The fund was announced at the launch of the combined authority’s new Homes for the Future strategy in Wolverhampton on 8 December.
The strategy green paper focuses on tackling fuel poverty and climate change and how to stimulate the region’s green construction and technology industries.
The WMCA is currently engaging with developers and other industry bodies on the proposals, with a view to putting them into practice in the new year.
The West Midlands has set a target of building 215,000 new homes by 2031.
Mr Street added: “We’ve been using this ‘brownfield-first’ approach to such success since 2017, that we believe we are the only region to remain on track to reach their housing target.
“But we must continue our progress, and we hope this £200m will help unlock a further 12,000 homes for local residents across the West Midlands.”
Mark Farmer, chair of the housing taskforce at WMCA and chief executive officer of Cast Consultancy, said the proposals are “the culmination of two initiatives to deliver net zero homes and develop a local advanced manufacturing capability in homebuilding”.
He added: “By bringing together these two strands, we have developed unique and ambitious proposals which will drive the delivery of low-energy, high-quality homes through the use of innovative construction.”
The new WMCA funding comes as the government allocated a further £80m this week to help councils build homes on brownfield sites across England.
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