Unused public sector land will deliver thousands of homes in Yorkshire

ENOUGH unused public sector land has been released to build around 3,500 homes in Yorkshire, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced.

The amount of land sold by the Government surpasses the original commitment set by the Prime Minister for this Parliament, and is expected to rise again by the end of March this year.

Now, the government is calling on councils and developers to help turn it into housing as soon as possible, and is urging local authorities up and down the country to follow this example and sell their redundant sites and buildings.

Mr Pickles said: “Housebuilding is at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan. That’s why, rather than leaving surplus public sector land idle, we are putting it to good use by releasing it to build new homes across the country.

“This is part of wider efforts that have got Britain building again, leading to the delivery of 700,000 new homes since the end of 2009.

“I now want to see councils following Whitehall’s example and explore what they can do to release land and deliver new homes and savings for local taxpayers.”

The government has already taken steps to boost house building through simplifying the planning system making it easier to convert empty buildings into new homes and prioritising development on brownfield land.

House building starts are now at their highest since 2007, empty homes are at their lowest level since records began and government-backed schemes have helped nearly 192,000 people buy or reserve a property since 2010.