Townhill Park paves the way for affordable housing after winning Brownfield Land Release Funding

Following a successful application, Southampton City Council have been awarded £1.08m from the Brownfield Land Release Fund to demolish two sites at Townhill Park to allow new affordable homes to be built

10/10/2023

Image of brown block of flats with white windows and white garages at the bottom. Green bushes, grass surround the block. At the side of the block is red and green moss growing.

The two blocks adjacent to Benhams Road and the three blocks at Rowlands Walk will be demolished thanks to the Brownfield Land Release Fund, enabling new homes to come forward and supporting the wider regeneration of Townhill Park with over six-hundred brand new council homes. It is estimated that the new sites will deliver 220 new homes.

The residents from Benhams Road and Rowlands Walk have been moved out of these blocks in preparation for the demolition to make way for the regeneration of these sites. The blocks are now empty and valuable materials have been removed and the buildings secured.

The project has been funded by HM Government via the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) which is part of the Government’s plan to prioritise brownfield land for new housing, transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work, while also protecting cherished green spaces.

It is anticipated that the Council will have contracts in place and for the demolition itself to commence in late spring 2024. We will be in contact with residents and local schools to keep them updated on the demolition.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adults, Housing and Health at Southampton City Council said:

"As a council, we’re committed to building good quality, affordable housing that our residents can benefit from, which is why I am delighted that we have been awarded this funding from the Brownfield Land Release Fund to support us with taking down unused sites at Townhill Park to make way for new homes to be built.

"Receiving this funding means that we can regenerate sites at Townhill Park faster which in turn will help to accelerate the delivery of at least 8,000 affordable homes by 2040".