Two Government announcements on housing kick-start 2017

Just a couple of days into the New Year, the Government has already signalled its intentions for the housing sector with two major announcements.

Funding for the first wave of Starter Homes, which are available to first-time buyers between the ages of 23 and 40 years old at a discount of at least 20 per cent below market value, was announced today (3 January 2017).

Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell confirmed that on the back of this announcement, 2017 will see the first Starter Homes being built on brownfield sites across the country, supported by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).  Thirty local authority partnerships have been established under the £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund, and it is these authorities that will spearhead the regeneration schemes. 

The full story can be found at - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-light-for-construction-of-thousands-of-new-starter-homes

A day earlier (2 January 2017) it was announced that the first garden villages have been given government backing. This builds on the existing garden towns programme, which also saw an announcement for three new locations on the same day, with a further £1.4 million of funding to support their delivery. 

The garden village programme has the potential to deliver 48,000 new homes across England. In all, 14 locations have been announced and those chosen will have access to a £6 million fund over the next two years. 

The full story can be viewed here - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-ever-garden-villages-named-with-government-support

Planning Potential will be following further press coverage on these two matters with interest. We will provide further updates on the delivery of much needed new homes, particularly following the publication of the much-anticipated Housing White Paper, which should include further detail on Starter Homes.

Watch this space!