The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF3) has launched, providing up to £34.7 million of capital funding in 2026-27 to help councils bring forward new homes on council-owned brownfield land.
The fund will be administered by the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils.
BLRF3 is the first year of a new four-year funding commitment worth up to £104 million and will prioritise projects that can release land quickly and make a significant contribution to housing growth, regeneration and the delivery of much-needed homes. It will be delivered through a collaborative, continuous market engagement approach, and councils will be able to work with OPE regional teams to develop proposals and build a pipeline of projects.
Since 2018, the BLRF has supported councils to successfully unlock housing development by helping meet the abnormal costs that can prevent brownfield sites from progressing. This includes funding for site remediation, demolition, infrastructure and other abnormal development costs, enabling stalled sites to move forward and deliver new homes.
The fund is administered by One Public Estate (OPE) on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, Chair of the LGA, said: “We are pleased to be working with MHCLG to help remediate brownfield sites back into use and help deliver essential land for housing.
“This will help ensure that we are getting the best out of public land and to support communities, as shown by the record of this fund to date which has helped bring many much needed sites back into use.”
To help councils understand the opportunity and application process, OPE will host a webinar on 6 October 2026. The session will provide an overview of the fund, eligibility requirements and the support OPE can provide to help councils develop successful applications.
