Cash boost to deliver more homes for families in Milton Keynes

A £16.5 million cash boost is to fast forward the development of over 1,600 new homes at Newton Leys, Milton Keynes.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis today (24 September 2014) announced a £16.5 million cash boost to fast forward the development of over 1,600 new homes at Newton Leys, Milton Keynes.

Despite receiving planning permission for development in 2006, progress on the brownfield site stalled for years.

This cash injection from the government will help speed up progress on the site, which will not only provide homes for families but also establish a surrounding community with the construction of new primary school, a park, a hotel, a shop, and a range of other leisure amenities.

Today’s announcement is the latest allocation of funding under the Local Infrastructure Fund. The fund is targeted at schemes that could deliver real benefits to their communities but are struggling to move forward and gives them the boost they need to grow into the places that communities want and need. Already 85,000 homes have been unlocked through the scheme.

The Local Infrastructure Fund is just one of the ways the government is getting Britain building and boosting local economies, and the government’s long-term economic plan is bringing in results. Housing starts, planning permissions and residential construction orders are all at their highest levels since 2007.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said:

"Our long-term economic plan has got Britain building. And it is not just providing more homes for families but also helping to create new communities, new jobs and a boost to local economies and businesses.

"Today I am pleased to announce a £16.5 million cash boost to Milton Keynes to fast forward development at Newtown Leys, a site which will not only provide over 1,600 new homes for families, but also create jobs and help establish a local community built around the amenities and space that local people want."

Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes South said:

"I am very pleased with this announcement. It is important that, as well as the extra houses we need to meet demand in Milton Keynes, we have the local amenities in place which are necessary for a new community to thrive.

"This is just another example of how this government is delivering a sustainable future for Milton Keynes."