THE North of Tyne Combined Authority has been awarded £24m from the Government’s £400m Brownfield Housing Fund to support the delivery of up to 2,500 additional homes on brownfield land by 2025.

The funding will allow local authorities to target additional investment towards brownfield sites requiring intervention, so that they can be developed and provide much needed new homes.

Brownfield sites exist in former industrial areas in towns and cities, where there may be abandoned factories or commercial buildings, or other previously polluting operations like steel mills, refineries or landfills.

Allocations from the Brownfield Housing Fund will be determined locally, with oversight from the North of Tyne cabinet allowing for devolved decision-making that prioritises the housing needs of local communities in the area.

The fund will see a range of housing and economic sites brought forward that would otherwise remain stalled or undeveloped.

The combined authority will also be able to bid for a share of an additional £40m of funding as part of a competitive process to ‘top up’ funds to further support work on brownfield sites.

Deputy mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority and portfolio holder for housing and land, Norma Redfearn CBE, said: “This is good news. It will allow us to build more of the homes people desperately need, where they are needed in the North of Tyne.

"Brownfield development will allow us to breathe new life into disused sites, which will help achieve our ambition to create affordable housing in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.”

Jamie Driscoll, the mayor of North of Tyne, said: “The North of Tyne has a wealth of under-utilised, brownfield land that is ripe for development. This land is often close to existing public transport and other amenities, so it makes sense that these sites play a major role in our housing ambitions.

"These sites will allow us to meet the broad range of housing needs that exist across the North of Tyne and help us to revitalise and sustain our construction sector, ensuring that good skilled jobs remain in our area.

“This funding, and the local decision making powers to ensure the interests of local people are met, is what devolution is all about and I welcome it.”