Mayor lands £57m to turn derelict land into thriving communities

Mayor Claire Ward on a brownfield site (Credit: Onclusive News)

The Mayor of the East Midlands has secured an additional £57.2 million to support housing developments on brownfield land across the region.

The funding will be used over the next four years to support the construction of more than 1,900 homes across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire.

The homes will be built on brownfield land – previously developed sites which are now derelict or underused. These sites offer a major opportunity to deliver much-needed homes while making better use of land that already has existing infrastructure and community connections.

Sites include the former Argos on Bath Street in Ilkeston with Erewash Borough Council working on behalf of property develolper Huntington Property One Ltd with 11 homes proposed.

This new funding adds to more than £36m already secured by Mayor Claire Ward to unlock brownfield sites across the region for housing, taking the total to more than £93m.

Mayor Claire said: “Securing this funding is a major step forward in delivering on my commitment to build the affordable and high-quality homes our communities need. By transforming brownfield land, we’re breathing new life into the places that matter to local people.

“Former industrial land should never be left as a relic of the past, it should serve the future: and one way it can do that is by creating new homes, communities, and places that we can be proud of.”

Building work has already begun on hundreds of homes across sites in North Derbyshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire.

Mayor Claire said: “Through our previous Brownfield Housing Fund allocation, I can see the appetite that partners have to turn ambition into action. I’m looking forward to working them to unlock sites, attract further investment, and deliver real change for our residents both now and in the future.”

As the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) continues to work with local authorities, landowners, developers, and Homes England, the Brownfield Housing Fund will act as a catalyst for further investment. The programme is helping to meet housing demand, regenerate communities, and support long-term and inclusive economic growth across the region.

The new funding is part of an additional £234m awarded by the Government to support seven Mayoral Combined Authorities, including EMCCA, to unlock 8,000 new homes on derelict brownfield land.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “People want real change – homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities.” 

It comes alongside the confirmation of seven sites for potential new towns and the launch of a National Housing Bank.

The Government said these measures form part of its “commitment to ease the housing crisis, supporting first-time buyers, and creating thousands of jobs across construction and related industries”.