Trafford is set to receive almost £2 million to transform its brownfield sites into new homes in the heart of Stretford.

Trafford Council is earmarked to receive £1.93 million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which will go towards the Lacy Street mixed-use scheme to deliver homes and other improvements to the area.

The council will receive the ninth largest sum out of 60 authorities with nearly 100 regeneration projects receiving a share of the £60 million, in a bid to develop more than 6,000 new homes on brownfield land across the country.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “We welcome this funding as part of our plans to regenerate Stretford town centre. The project will provide much-needed housing – including affordable – and will open up the canal to the town centre to create other opportunities.”

The investment is part of the second phase of the £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund, with cash going directly to councils so they can release the land and get building as soon as possible.

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart MP said: “This funding will unleash the much-needed redevelopment of brownfield sites, stimulating growth and helping local areas reach their full potential.

“It’s fantastic news for businesses, and even better news for local people who will now see new investment, job opportunities, and family homes in their communities.”

Derelict car parks, industrial sites and town centre buildings that have fallen into disrepair will all benefit from the new funding, with the government supporting communities to bring land back into use.

Chair of the Local Government Association Cllr Shaun Davies said: “We are delighted to continue our work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, supporting councils to access the Brownfield Land Release Fund.  

“Councils have continued to embrace opportunities to bring brownfield sites in their ownership forward for housing, and this fund plays a key role in helping councils to provide the types of homes their communities really need.”

The government has a brownfield-first approach to building homes, in its first round of the release fund it provided the opportunity to create an additional 2,400.

Minister for Housing and Planning Rachel Maclean MP added: “We know we need to build more homes, but this cannot come at the expense of concreting over our precious countryside. 

“That is why we are doing all we can to make sure we’re making use of wasteland and unused brownfield land, so we can turn these eyesores into beautiful and thriving communities. 

“This is all part of our long-term plan for housing – making sure we deliver the homes we need across the country.”