East Midlands site included in ‘flagship’ homes plan
Around 850 planned homes near Grantham will be built more quickly, the government says, after the scheme was included in its New Homes Accelerator Programme this week.
A housing development at Rectory Farm in Lincolnshire, which forms Grantham’s western urban expansion, has been included on a list of seven sites which is set to benefit from the latest New Homes Accelerator support.
The scheme involves central government drafting in planning experts to shift blockages in the regulatory system for strategic sites across the country, whilst also working with statutory consultees and other government departments on specific issues impacting sites in the programme.
Two developments for 448 homes were approved for phase one at Rectory Farm in 2023, with developers Vistry Group and Jelson Homes currently building out the scheme north of Barrowby Road.
Plans for a 400-home phase two of the programme were submitted by Vistry in 2023, with details of a Section 106 agreement still being finalised. The scheme has been recommended for approval.
The other six sites on a list published by MCHLG this week include four sites in Bicester totalling around 8,000 homes, and sites in Aylesbury and Bedford where around 2,500 homes are also planned.
Meanwhile, Housing Secretary Steve Reed has urged developers, landowners, and councils to come forward with further sites that need government support through the New Homes Accelerator, with support now extended to smaller sites of under 500 homes, as the government ramps up a bid to build 1.5m homes by 2029.
“The number of families and young people locked out of the dream of home ownership is unacceptable so we are doing everything we can to make that dream come true,” he said.
“We’re stripping away the barriers blocking new homes being built and our New Homes Accelerator means 125,000 will now go ahead. But we’re just getting started. This next phase will see spades in the ground even faster as we build the 1.5 million homes this country needs.”
Around 48,500 homes have been built with assistance from the scheme, according to the government.
“The New Homes Accelerator is our growth mission in action – removing obstacles, restoring confidence and turning stalled plans into real investment on the ground – from pioneering sites in Oxford to the Cambridge Growth Corridor to new developments in the Northern Growth Corridor,” added chancellor Rachel Reeves.
“This programme supports jobs across the country and helps more people find a secure, good‑quality home – building an economy that works for working people.”
The national portal for developers, local authorities and landowners to request support through the New Homes Accelerator is available via the gov.uk website.
