THE GOVERNMENT has launched a taskforce to unlock thousands of homes on surplus public land, with defence sites leading a new approach to development.
The initiative aims to remove barriers to housing projects and support the target of delivering 1.5 million homes by the next parliament.
Network Rail’s new property company will facilitate up to 40,000 homes over the next decade. The first developments will begin in Newcastle, Cambridge, Manchester, and Nottingham.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will release land for housing, starting with 1,300 homes at Deverell Barracks in Ripon.
Additional sites at Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell and Wyton airfield in Cambridgeshire are expected to provide thousands more homes.
The Defence Secretary has identified long-term potential for over 100,000 homes on surplus defence land.
A partnership between Network Rail Property and London & Continental Railways will develop brownfield sites, attracting public and private investment.
The company, set to launch this year, will oversee major projects, including a 100-acre site in Newcastle for 5,000 homes, 1,500 homes in Manchester Mayfield, 425 homes in Cambridge, and 200 homes in Nottingham.
The government says the plan will accelerate housing development, create jobs, and contribute to economic growth.
Damian Talbot
Nirmala Sitharaman speaks at the India-UK Investor Roundtable in London last Wednesday (9). On the panel were India’s department of economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth and Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak
Sitharaman with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves
Sitharaman with Jonathan Reynolds 
Sitharaman with Reynolds, Alastair King, India’s high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and other delegates