The government has launched a new £165 million fund aimed at kickstarting stalled housing and employment developments across England by addressing a critical bottleneck: missing road infrastructure.
Announced on Monday (30 March), the Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund will provide targeted grants to bridge funding gaps for essential transport links, primarily on or near the country’s motorways and major A-roads.
The initiative forms part of the broader Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), which commits over £27 billion to England’s strategic road network between 2026 and 2031.
Housing and employment sites often sit idle for years after receiving planning permission because developers lack the resources to deliver the connecting roads, roundabouts, or access improvements needed to make them viable.
The new fund seeks to change that by directly funding those “last-mile” infrastructure works, unlocking thousands of new homes and associated jobs in the process.
“This fund will pave the way for developments that have sat idle for too long, funding the transport links that stalled sites need to get moving and generating new jobs and opportunities for communities that deserve them,” said Secretary of State Heidi Alexander. “It is a deliberate choice – and a signal that this government is serious about removing the barriers to growth.”
Housing Secretary Steve Reed added that the move is part of a wider push to deliver 1.5 million new homes this Parliament. “This government is firing on all cylinders to get spades in the ground faster so we can build new homes, bolster our transport links and create jobs in the places most in need,” he said.
Where the money is going
The £165 million will be administered by National Highways, which in the coming weeks will invite local authorities to register eligible stalled developments for consideration. A rolling programme of funded schemes is expected to begin from the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
- Focus on stalled sites: Priority will go to housing and employment developments that have been held back specifically by transport infrastructure shortfalls, with an emphasis on areas that have historically struggled to secure such funding.
- Geographic spread: The fund targets sites across England located on or near the strategic road network (motorways and major A-roads). No specific projects or regions have been named yet, as the application process is only just opening. However, officials stressed it will support a mix of housing schemes and commercial/employment sites to drive both residential supply and economic growth.
- Expected impact: While exact figures for individual sites remain to be determined, the government says the investment will unlock “thousands” of new homes and associated jobs. It complements the wider RIS3, which is projected to support around 50,000 jobs across England over the five-year period through broader road maintenance, renewal, and enhancement works, including £8.4 billion for resurfacing over 9,000 kilometres of lanes.
The announcement comes amid intense pressure on the government to accelerate housebuilding. Stalled sites represent a persistent challenge in England’s planning and delivery system, where infrastructure costs can render otherwise approved developments unviable for private developers.
This £165 million pot sits alongside other recent initiatives, including brownfield regeneration funding directed to Mayoral Combined Authorities and efforts to identify locations for new towns.
By focusing narrowly on road-related barriers, the Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund aims to deliver quick, tangible wins that get shovels in the ground faster than broader infrastructure programmes.
Leave a Reply