Thousands of homes to be built at six Yorkshire sites with help of £5bn infrastructure fund

Some £23.5 million in investment in Yorkshire schemes is coming from the Housing Infrastructure Fund as part of efforts to solve the nation's housing crisis.

The new money will fund key local infrastructure projects including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work, all essential ahead of building the homes.

The schemes include:

£1.5m for a 'foul sewer' and pond which will allow 1,400 homes, a district centre and school facilities to be built at the City Fields site near Wakefield.

£6.3m to secure the construction of a relief road on land east of Otley, which would enable the delivery of around 560 homes.

£3.6m for infrastructure such as drainage works and footpaths at the Manor Cluster, a group of four stalled housing development sites in Sheffield, which will unlock more than 400 homes.

£2.2m for the Thurnscoe Housing Development, near Barnsley, which will help connect infrastructure to a greenfield site where 311 new homes could be built.

£1m for land remediation work on the ChaCo & Unity Development in Roundhay Road, Leeds, unlocking 63 new homes.

£8.8m for a scheme at Olympia Park, Selby, where funding for highway improvement and land remediation work could allow the development of some 1,500 homes.

According to the Government, without this financial support these projects would struggle to go ahead or take years for work to begin, delaying the homes these communities need.

Leader of Selby District Council, Mark Crane, said the Olympia Park scheme was "such an important development site for us".

He said: "I know that people will have been wondering what’s been going on at the site for some time. With this significant investment from the government we’ll be able to push ahead with making this site viable for development.

“It’s got massive potential for us to deliver new homes and business growth. The Selby district is the fastest growing in North Yorkshire and it’s sites like this that will help us to meet this need.

"Great transport links, affordable business space and great quality housing, market towns and picturesque countryside, all contribute to why people want to live here and invest in business here.”

The £5bn Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme to help unlock new homes in areas with the greatest housing demand.

Housing Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Philip Hammond launched the scheme in Leicester today.

Mr Javid said: "My priority is building the homes this country desperately needs.

“This first wave of investment in projects across Yorkshire and the Humber will help get up to 4,000 homes off the ground, making a huge difference to communities across the region.

“This is just one of the many ways this Government is taking action to get Britain building homes again."

Mr Hammond said: “Today marks the first step of the multi-billion pound investment we announced at the Budget to help build the homes our country needs.

“This fund finances vital infrastructure such as roads, schools and bridges, which will kick-start housing development in some of Britain’s highest-demand areas.

“This support will help us meet our ambitious plan of building 300,000 new homes each year and ensure we have enough housing in areas which need it most.”

Responding to the announcement, Selby MP Nigel Adams tweeted: "FANTASTIC news that the Government has agreed to provide £8.9m for #Selby Olympia Park development. My thanks to @sajidjavid and @mhclg for supporting the bid which will help unlock this crucial development for the area."