One Public Estate: Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) Round 3 Funding Awards announced

On 15 October 2024 the Prime Minister announced that £68m has been awarded under the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 (BLRF2) to 54 councils in England, who will be able to use the money to turn surplus land into new homes. It will transform local communities and help families onto the property ladder.

The funding will mean councils can clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for the homes. Brownfield  land can be expensive to prepare for house building, meaning sites are sat empty and can be an eyesore for local communities.

The funding, delivered through the Brownfield Land Release Fund, will enable councils to cover the cost of decontamination, clearing disused buildings or improving infrastructure such as internet, water and power. As a result, land will be released to enable 5,200 homes to be built across the country.

The three-year £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 was launched in July 2022 to allow local authorities in England to be able to build on blocked brownfield land.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the Local Government Association, said: “We are delighted to continue our work with MHCLG, supporting councils to access the Brownfield Land Release Fund to remediate unviable council-owned brownfield land and bring it forwards for much needed homes. Delivered through the One Public Estate programme, BLRF is an important fund for English councils to unlock smaller sites and provides the flexibility for councils to deliver the types of homes their community needs at pace.”

Prime Minister Kier Starmer said: "This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places that people want to live and work. Our brownfield-first approach will not only ramp up housebuilding but also create more jobs, deliver much-needed infrastructure, and boost economic growth across the country."

The BLRF2 is delivered through OPE, a partnership between MHCLG, the Office of Government Property and the Local Government Association. One Public Estate is a cross public sector programme, aimed at bringing public sector bodies together, to create better places by using public assets more efficiently, creating service and financial benefits for partners and releasing land for housing and regeneration. 

Find out more about the Brownfield Land Release Fund.