Home Building Fund
The Home Building Fund was initially administered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) on behalf of government. It provided a a flexible source of funding, development finance, loans to meet the development costs of building homes for sale or rent, infrastructure finance, loans for site preparation and the infrastructure needed to enable housing to progress and to prepare land for development with funds being tailored to individual circumstances.
On 11 January 2018, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was replaced by Homes England as a executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The fund itself was also renamed as the Levelling Up Home Building Fund under the Conservatives. In 2024 under the new Labour government Homes England was somewhat repurposed to support its target of building 1.5 million homes.
In December 2024, the government announced its intention to extended the existing Home Building Fund for the following year providing up to £700 million of support to SME housebuilders, delivering an additional 12,000 new homes.Launched a New Homes Accelerator to unblock thousands of homes stuck in the planning system. Along side this it planned and completed a number of other initiatives designed at increasing the stock of UK housing including:
- Setting up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create large-scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
- Awarding £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
- Awarding £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.
- An additional £3 billion in housing guarantees to help builders apply for more accessible loans from banks and lenders.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/find-out-how-the-levelling-up-home-building-fund-can-support-you
https://www.urbanandcivic.com/application/files/9515/7554/4616/HBF_UC_Presentation.pdf
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Grenfell investigation files passed to CPS
Angela Rayner apologises on behalf of the British state.
Electrical contractors need to understand the practical implications.
The real barrier to getting more value from digital technology.
Your guide to The Construction Reset at UKCW Birmingham.
Accommodating the Victorian and Edwardian working woman. Book review.
Rethinking passive fire protection in design
PFP demands the same level of design rigour as structure or services.
38% of Gen Zs feel safe when a fire door is wedged open.
Stunning images from around the world
Shortlist for CIOB’s Art of Building photography competition.
Guidance for conversion of traditional pre-1919 stone buildings.
Industrial heritage in the Ruhr
A marked difference to the fate of industrial landscapes in the UK.
Communities will be able to build their own clean energy.
Why diversity and inclusion matters for SMEs
CIOB’s D&I Charter shows how practical changes can support long-term growth.