Councils across the country have been promised £68m to clear brownfield sites for new housing.

The cash will allow 54 councils to clear empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land to make way for 5,200 new homes.

Funding through the Brownfield Land Release Fund will cover the cost of decontamination, clearing disused buildings or improving infrastructure such as internet, water and power.

Some of the projects to benefit from the funding include:

• £2.9m to Manchester to unlock a vacant brownfield site to build 220 much-needed affordable homes
• £2.2m to Eastbourne to transform a former industrial site, to build 100 new homes including 80 affordable houses
• Over £1.7m to the town centre in Weston-Super-Mare to allow over 100 homes to be built on brownfield land
• £1.4m to Northampton to transform a former bus depot and deliver 72 new homes

Homes England will also be investing £30m to help accelerate the transformation of the Riverside Sunderland area from a former industrial heartland into a thriving new mixed-use development.

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said:  “The funding announced today will support the delivery of thousands of new homes and boost economic growth by unlocking development on scores of abandoned, disused and neglected urban sites across the country.”