West Yorkshire secures £67 million to help develop Brownfield sites.

The government this week announced it was providing several areas of the country with a share of its £400m Brownfield land fund – a pot to encourage development on vacant, previously developed sites.

Areas that were allocated the money all have elected mayors, but West Yorkshire was included due to a devolution deal signed in March.

The government hopes the funding will help create 24,000 homes on such sites.

Although many local authorities encourage building on Brownfield sites rather than fields or Green Belt land, these sites can often be unattractive to developers.

Such sites can be contaminated, requiring expensive works to make them habitable, and often they require extensive accompanying highway works due to many sites being in busy urban areas.

Brownfield developments also have to consider neighbouring buildings and infrastructure – compromises that can add to the costs of a scheme.

Responding to the announcement on allocations from the fund alongside the Prime Minister’s speech, Councillor Tim Swift, Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Calderdale Council, said: “The £67 million we have secured to help deliver thousands of homes on brownfield land shows how the West Yorkshire devolution deal we struck in March is already delivering for our communities.

“Thanks to the devolution deal and our track record of delivery we did not have to bid for this funding. We have been allocated funding on the same basis as areas which already have elected mayors, ensuring we can put this money to work as quickly as possible to unlock development sites.”