£33.3m housing package aims to unlock more than 1,000 Tees Valley homes

More than 1,000 homes could be unlocked on previously developed land across Tees Valley after a £33.3 million funding package received unanimous approval.

The decision, taken by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority cabinet on 31 July and announced on 3 August, allocates Brownfield Housing Fund money towards 1,085 homes. The important word is “unlock”: the fund is intended to pay for remediation and enabling works that make difficult sites practical for housing, rather than meeting the full cost of every home.

Why brownfield sites need a push

Land that has already been used can come with extra costs, from demolition and old foundations to contamination, access roads and utilities. Those early jobs can prevent an otherwise useful development from getting started. Public funding can close that gap, bringing dormant plots back into use while reducing pressure to build on green space.

The Combined Authority said it would publish a prospectus and open a call for sites in early August. Landowners and development partners would then be invited to submit expressions of interest. Homes England and the region’s local authorities have also been involved in planning how the programme should be used.

The new package follows earlier rounds that helped deliver or progress more than 1,500 homes at 11 sites. Examples include the 296-home Hillside Gardens development led by housing association Thirteen in Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, Union Village at Gresham and homes planned for Hartlepool Waterfront by Jomast.

Homes, construction and regeneration

Using brownfield land can do several jobs at once. It can add housing close to existing communities, remove an untidy or unusable site and support construction work. The approach also fits the region’s Local Growth Plan, which sets out a wider ambition to regenerate sites and increase housing supply over the coming decade.

Approval of the fund is not the same as granting planning permission, and individual schemes will still need to pass the relevant tests. The final mix of locations and homes will depend on the sites selected through the call and the proposals that follow.

What has been agreed is a substantial pot for the awkward work at the start. If it performs as intended, 1,085 homes that might otherwise have stalled will have a clearer route from brownfield plot to building site.

Source: Funding, housing and earlier delivery figures were checked against the Tees Valley Combined Authority announcement of 3 August 2026. Image: Tees Valley Combined Authority.