More garden towns are to be built in England with a new communities programme launched to provide over 200,000 new homes by 2050.
The programme will see more high quality homes built and green spaces created, expanding on Government’s plans for more locally led developments.
It means that councils across England and private developers who have secured support from local authorities will be able to apply for a place on the programme.
The winning bidders will receive tailored advice and potential grant funding for help with staffing or environmental assessments as part of the planning process for new garden towns.
‘This plan is about the government working with councils and developers to get great homes in keeping with beautiful areas in England. We want to help local authorities build strong and vibrant communities where people want to live, work, and raise families,’ said the Secretary of State for Housing and Communities James Brokenshire.
‘Our garden communities programme already has the potential to provide over 200,000 new homes by 2050, and we want to go further. Strong community involvement and engagement will be at the heart of judging garden community proposals, ensuring developments reflect local character while also designing beautiful green spaces near homes,’ he added.
Under the programme garden communities can take the form of new villages, towns or cities and have the potential to deliver well-designed homes at an increased scale, with projects ranging in size from 10,000 to 40,000 homes.
This prospectus is the latest step by the Government to get Britain building, with 23 locally led garden communities already receiving funding support.
Brokenshire explained that the launch signals the start of a three month application process, with successful garden community proposals being announced later in the New Year.
He added that last year 217,000 homes were built, marking the biggest increase in housing supply in England for almost a decade.