Councils across England have been invited to bid for a share of a £60m Brownfield Land Release scheme that, said the Government, will deliver 5,800 new homes by March 2027.

The money is to be used to revive brownfield sites and make way for high quality new homes, said the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

‘Disused and unloved brownfield sites across England will be regenerated to deliver thousands of new homes and jobs. This is part of the Government’s plan to prioritise brownfield land for new housing, transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work, while protecting our cherished green spaces.

£35m of the £180m fund has already been allocated to areas from Exeter to Sunderland and the remaining funding will be made available to councils over the next two years.

‘We want to turn neglected areas into thriving new communities, as part of our mission level up the country’, said minister for housing Lucy Frazer.

‘To do this we must prioritise brownfield land to deliver new homes for people, in the right places.

‘The £60 million fund we are opening today provides another fantastic opportunity for councils to drive regeneration in their towns and cities – and help more young families onto the housing ladder’.