£26 million boost to develop brownfield land in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 

£26 million boost to develop brownfield land in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is to get £26 million in Government funding to develop brownfield land for new housing, helping to accelerate the economy and regeneration. 

The funding has been welcomed by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow and is part of a £234 million national package announced for mayoral combined authorities across England  

Brownfield sites are often located close to existing jobs and transport, but can be more complex and costly to clear and prepare the land for development.  

The Combined Authority is working to bring forward more opportunities for new homes and business space, including through joint working with Homes England via the Strategic Place Partnership agreement and the developing Opportunity Zones which form part of the new Local Growth Plan (LGP). 

The LGP has four designated Opportunity Zones: Peterborough, Fenland, North Huntingdonshire, and Cambridge. These are a focus for investment, new infrastructure, regeneration, jobs and homes alongside growth in priority economic sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, defence and agri-tech. This targeted investment aims to support the Mayoral ambition contained in the plan to triple the size of the local economy.  

Paul Bristow said: “This is new money we have been pushing for to regenerate parts of our region and is a big vote of confidence in our plan for growth. 

“Brownfield sites often sit fenced off, boarded up, and doing absolutely nothing for our communities for far too long. They should be prime spots for new homes and businesses, and this £26 million will help get these sites ready for the diggers to come in. 

“Common sense tells us we need to build on land that’s already close to jobs and transport, creating real economic growth and a new lease of life for our centres. I’ll work with Government and partners locally to get a pipeline of opportunities and make sure this money gets working for our communities quickly.” 

The Combined Authority will continue to work with Government on the funding and further details will follow in due course.  

Read the Government announcement Seven new towns proposed to kickstart housebuilding push – GOV.UK