Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the availability of capital funding for brownfield housing developments led by housing associations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such specific assessment.
Registered Providers can bid for grant funding for eligible developments through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, including those on brownfield land.
My Department launched the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF) on 1 April 2026. The NHDF will provide c.£5 billion of capital grant funding for infrastructure and land from 2026 to 2030. This includes £1.3 billion allocated through the Integrated Settlement for Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities (EMSAs) to support mayors to deliver more housing over the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to brownfield regeneration projects in Birmingham in each of the last five years, and what is planned for the next three years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Over the last 5 years, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was allocated approximately £140million through the Brownfield Housing Fund. The Combined Authority separately contracted £68.5million in brownfield regeneration projects within Birmingham through the Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund.
We have now launched the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF) to drive housing delivery, including with support for brownfield regeneration projects. We have allocated £175million to the WMCA through the Integrated Settlement and they will make decisions on how to use that funding to support projects in the region.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of new housing starts in the West Midlands in the last year were on brownfield sites.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the requested information.
The government previously published statistics on the percentage of new residential addresses created on previously developed (brownfield) land. The most recent figures, for 2021-22, can be found on gov.uk here.
My Department is updating the land use statistics, which includes the new residential addresses release, to take advantage of new, more granular data from Ordnance Survey. Publication is expected to resume this year.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the average time taken from council approval to development commencement for mixed-use brownfield sites in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England as a whole.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications for brownfield regeneration funding in the West Midlands have been (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected in each of the last three years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Over the past three years, the West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated approximately £42 million through the Brownfield Housing Fund.
The Combined Authority separately contracted £54.5million in brownfield regeneration projects within West Midlands through the Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund.
Homes England allocates funding for these brownfield programmes via continuous market engagement rather than applications during bidding windows.
The Combined Authority collects and holds information on the specific number of received, approved, and rejected schemes.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is the Department taking to accelerate housing delivery on derelict urban sites?
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 91369 on 27 November 2025 and Question UIN 106779 on 27 January 2026. My Department is currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation on the new National Planning Policy Framework and will publish our response in due course.
In December 2024, the government implemented a new standard method for assessing housing needs, that better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable. The new method focusses growth in our city regions – housing need across Mayoral Combined Authority areas increases by over 20% compared to the previous method.
During 2024/25 over 27 hectares of brownfield land were reclaimed on schemes supported by Homes England. Our Brownfield Infrastructure and Land programmes had unlocked capacity for over 51,000 homes by the end of 2024/25. Homes England will be reporting further delivery on brownfield land in its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025/26 to be published later in July.
The £5 billion National Housing Delivery Fund, launched in April 2026, will be the main funding point for brownfield land, through Homes England and devolved allocations.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Poolway Centre site in Garretts Green, Birmingham, is eligible for funding under current brownfield regeneration schemes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has announced £5bn of capital grant funding for infrastructure and land through the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF).
£175 million of the NHDF has been allocated to West Midlands Combined Authority through the Integrated Settlement to deliver projects in the region. Eligibility of site in question will be determined by the Combined Authority.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of brownfield regeneration on community cohesion.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such assessment.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms exist to provide financial support for housing developments that include community facilities and retail space in areas lacking basic amenities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has announced £5 billion of land and infrastructure capital grant funding. This funding, to be administered by a new, single National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF) that will complement investment from our National Housing Bank, can be used to address viability gaps on brownfield sites.
NHDF funding is delivered by delivery partners including Homes England, established and non-established mayoral strategic authorities, One Public Estate, and others for specific place-based programmes, providing funding across the country.
Homes England will deliver a national programme, drawing on its strong track record of managing major housing and land programmes. Funding has also been devolved to mayoral authorities, with £1.3bn provided to Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, through Integrated Settlements, and £234m to non-established Mayoral Strategic Authorities through the Brownfield Housing Fund. This gives local leaders flexibility to drive delivery in their areas.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure brownfield regeneration funding reaches projects in the most deprived constituencies.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has announced £5 billion of land and infrastructure capital grant funding. This funding, to be administered by a new, single National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF) that will complement investment from our National Housing Bank, can be used to address viability gaps on brownfield sites.
NHDF funding is delivered by delivery partners including Homes England, established and non-established mayoral strategic authorities, One Public Estate, and others for specific place-based programmes, providing funding across the country.
Homes England will deliver a national programme, drawing on its strong track record of managing major housing and land programmes. Funding has also been devolved to mayoral authorities, with £1.3bn provided to Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, through Integrated Settlements, and £234m to non-established Mayoral Strategic Authorities through the Brownfield Housing Fund. This gives local leaders flexibility to drive delivery in their areas.