The Department for Transport has launched a £165m Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund to help kickstart stalled housing and employment developments in England.
The fund will target sites where schemes have stalled due to funding constraints and will be used to fund new transport improvements and links in a bid to get development under way again.
The fund forms part of Road Investment Strategy 3, the government’s £27bn plan to improve motorways and major A-roads between 2026 to 2031.
Set to be launched in the coming weeks, the fund will be used to maintain and renew existing networks as well as removing infrastructure barriers that block development. It will focus on locations on or near motorways and A-roads across England.
The fund launch follows a recent £70m government funding package to bolster skills in the fire engineering workforce and train 700 new registered building inspectors. Both funds forms part of government’s wider commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “For many people, the dream of a decent home, close to work, and with good connections to their community, has been out of reach.
“This government is firing on all cylinders to get spades in the ground faster so we can build new homes, bolster our transport links and create jobs in the places most in need.
“This is exactly the kind of targeted, practical action that will help us reach 1.5 million new homes and create thriving communities where people can put down roots.”
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander added: “Too many housing and employment opportunities have stalled for years, held back by the infrastructure that wasn’t there to support them.
“This fund will pave the way for developments that have sat idle for too long, funding the transport links that stalled sites need to get moving and generating new jobs and opportunities for communities that deserve them.
“It is a deliberate choice and a signal that this government is serious about removing the barriers to growth.”
In the coming weeks, National Highways will invite local authorities to register developments for consideration and publish a rolling programme of funded schemes from the end of 2026 and into 2027.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor