Starter Home Initiative – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on rolling out the Starter Homes Land Fund.

Gavin Barwell: The Housing White Paper confirmed that the £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund will be invested to support the preparations of brownfield sites for starter homes and other affordable home ownership tenures. 30 partnerships with local authorities were announced in January 2017 to identify and bring forward land opportunities. As of the end of February 2017, the Homes and Communities Agency had invested £61 million in 27 sites across the country, which have the capacity to deliver over 1,600 starter homes and other affordable home ownership units, and it is now undertaking detailed due diligence on further sites.

Green Light For Construction Of Thousands Of New Starter Homes

The Government has given the go-ahead to 30 local authorities to spearhead its new discounted homes scheme for 23 to 40-year olds. The first Starter Homes will be built on brownfield sites across the country. The first wave of 30 local authority partnerships were selected for their potential to get housing scheme going quickly. These partnerships will have access to the government’s £1.2bn Starter Homes Land Fund. Councils will work closely with the HCA to identify and take forward further land opportunities for the fund. The first places will begin construction later this year along with sites supported by the HCA. Read more on the Construction Enquirer website.

Housing Headlines From Budget 2016

1.       the launch of a Starter Homes Land Fund Prospectus, which will provide local authorities with £1.2bn of funding to make existing brownfield sites fit for housing;

2.       the acceleration of affordable home building via the bringing forward of £250m of capital spending to the 2017-18 and 2018-19;

3.       a streamlined planning system designed to minimise the delays that can hinder the planning process.

4.       releasing public sector land for house building purposes, including a specific partnership between the HCA and Network Rail to provide land surrounding railway stations.

5.       a commitment to legislation making it easier for local authorities to collaborate in the creation of new garden settlements.

6.       the reform of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on non-residential property transactions

Read more on the Forbes Solicitors website.

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, on which 500 new sites the Government plans to directly build affordable homes, at least 30,000 new starter homes and up to 30,000 market homes by 2020.

Brandon Lewis: The Government expects to secure at least 500 sites for starter homes through the use of the new £1.2 billion starter home land fund. These sites will be identified over the next three years, working closely with local planning authorities and developers. Further details about the operation of the fund will be announced in due course.