Communities across the South East are set to benefit from over 70,000 new, better-designed homes thanks to an £2.4 million cash boost, Housing Minister Rt Hon Esther McVey MP has announced today (Tuesday).
A total of £6 million will be allocated nationally to help new locally-led garden towns and villages progress plans to deliver up to 200,000 new homes.
£410,000 for the South East councils
An additional £2 million will be given to councils in England to support new neighbourhood plans, including £410,000 for the South East, allowing communities to have their say on the types of homes that are built and where they should be (see list below).
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.
The £410,000 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.
Extra cash for “vibrant new garden communities”
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 for councils in the South East 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.”
Delivering neighbourhood plans
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; and
- Hosting local referendums that give communities a final say on these plans; and
- Supporting communities who want to deliver new neighbourhood plans but have not been able to.
Eight garden towns and villages already in the pipeline for the South East will also receive a share of £6 million to progress proposals towards delivering up to 46,200 new homes.
The £2.1 million 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.
Where the money is going
The councils receiving a share of the £410k to support neighbourhood planning are:
- Fareham
- Hart
- Horsham
- Maidstone
- Milton Keynes
- Rother
- Runnymede
- South Oxfordshire
- Vale of White Horse
- West Oxfordshire
- Windsor and Maidenhead
The Government is supporting the delivery of seven garden towns and villages in the South East, representing new settlements building in areas which need new homes. These are locally led by councils or supportive third-party groups. These are located at:
- Aylesbury
- Bicester
- Didcot
- West Oxfordshire
- Otterpool
- Basingstoke
- Longcross
- Welborne
News shared by John on behalf of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Ed
