Brownfield sites across England will be regenerated to deliver thousands of new homes and jobs, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced.

From today (18 January), councils across England will be able to bid for a share of £60 million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, which the government says will help to bring neglected urban areas back into use, support regeneration projects and boost local economies.

According to the government, the funding will deliver 5,800 new homes by March 2027, create around 18,000 new jobs in the housing and construction sector, while helping thousands of first-time buyers into homeownership.

£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.

The full brownfield fund will deliver 17,600 new homes and 56,000 skilled new jobs over the next four years, helping to transform communities and level up the country, the government claims.

Minister for Housing Lucy Frazer said: “We want to turn neglected areas into thriving new communities, as part of our mission level up the country.

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

“The £60m 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.”

Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The LGA is delighted to continue to partner on the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) through our One Public Estate Programme. Councils are at the forefront of housing delivery, with BLRF2 supporting them to meet the needs of their communities by releasing their surplus land for new, high quality, energy efficient homes.”

The application window for this round will close on 31 March 2023 with successful projects expected to be announced over the summer.