Government announces an extra £2.5 million for new homes in garden towns across England

The UK Government has announced a £2.5 million cash boost to speed up the delivery of over 155,000 new homes in the proposed garden towns across England.

Nine locally led garden town developments, from Bicester to Taunton, will each receive new funding to fast track the build out of these large housing projects, according to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.

The new funding will support local authorities and communities in delivering ambitious proposals, speeding up the progress of developments through additional dedicated resources and expertise.

Javid pointed out that garden towns being supported by the Government are committed to delivering high quality, well planned and well-designed new communities that will stand out as exemplars of good development in years to come.

The funding will support the development of nine new locally led garden towns at Bicester, Didcot, Basingstoke, Otterpool Park in Kent, Aylesbury, Taunton, Harlow-Gilston, North Northamptonshire and North Essex.

‘Locally led garden towns have enormous potential to deliver the homes that communities need. This new funding will help support the construction of more than 155,000 homes in nine places across the country,’ said Javid.

‘New communities not only deliver homes, but also bring new jobs and facilities and a big boost to local economies. The Government’s Housing White Paper sets out bold new plans to ensure the housing market works for everyone, so that more people can have the security of a decent place to live,’ he explained.

‘Across England, Government is supporting the locally-led development of 10 garden towns and cities, as well as 14 garden villages with the combined potential to deliver 220,000 new homes across England,’ he added.