Placemaking around rail is a winning blueprint
The Government has announced that around 40,000 new, high-quality homes will be built on surplus railway land, as the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, unlocks brownfield sites across the country for development.
Richard Beresford Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said:
“The Government has a chance to set a new standard in placemaking and doing so on brownfield land around railways stations really is the twin-twin they are selling it as.”
The new company tasked with this role will be Platform4, who will be disposing of surplus rail land, attracting private investment and accelerating community regeneration. Opportunities to deliver 2,700 homes on four sites in Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Cambridge have already been identified.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB, said:
“Viability and ambition will be key to these projects succeeding. Some sites already have planning permission dating back decades and so Platform4 needs to reassess whether they need updating to deliver more for today’s communities.
We would urge the Government to explore community density, where projects are large in scale because they deliver all a community wants and needs. This means more employment space and leisure facilities, greater levels of public services and space, and homes which suit individuals, families and older people. Doing so ensures that the local and regional rail lines with the ambition is based around are being used to their full potential.”
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