Government pumps £142 million into plan to build 8,500 new homes

Thousands of homes will be built in growing communities as a result of a £142 million investment in infrastructure, Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP has revealed.

The money will be spent on widening bridges, building roads and connecting utilities so that up to 8,500 properties can be built.

The spending, under the Housing Infrastructure Fund, is all part of the government’s drive to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

Malthouse said: “For decades, governments of all stripes and types have not built enough homes but we are turning that around, brick by brick.

“We are driving to create homes, opportunities and thriving communities – and this £142 million investment will mean we can build more of the properties our country so badly needs.

“We need to keep upping our game and build more, better, faster, if we are to meet our ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.”

The funding comes from the government’s £5.5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund so that land can be made ready for development. Money from this fund is allocated to authorities after a competitive funding allocation process.

4,500 homes in Woking

Government will invest £95 million in Woking, Surrey, which will unlock land to build up to 4,500 homes in the town. The money will pay to widen the Victoria Arch Bridge, to pay for road improvements, buying land and connecting utilities. The project, which is being delivered by Surrey County Council, is expected to significantly reduce congestion in the area, as well as opening up land for housing.

4,000 homes in Truro

An extra 4,000 homes will be built as a result of a £47 million investment in new road links in Truro, Cornwall. The funding will be spent on a new northern access road, connecting sites from the A390 in the west to the Royal Cornwall Hospital and employment hub in the east.

Read more about new homes.