The government has awarded £208,000 to the One Public Estate programme for two projects which will improve public services while freeing up land for major regeneration schemes.

Both projects are in the Greater Brighton area and the funding will unlock multimillion pound projects on public land in Brighton (Moulsecoomb) and Burgess Hill.

The aim is to use the money to bring forward these developments, creating scores of homes and improving public services.

Successful projects

The announcement by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government confirmed the following Greater Brighton projects were successful:

• Burgess Hill Station Quarter - £90,000
• Moulsecoomb Neighbourhood Hub - £83,000
• A further grant of £35,000 will support programme management.

Councillor Daniel Yates, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: "The One Public Estate programme is a great example of how we are working with partners across the region to make the best use of public property and land for the benefit of all our residents, providing housing, jobs and better public services.

“We’ll use the funding to progress the Moulsecoomb Neighbourhood Hub project which is improving and bringing a range of public services together, as well as using redundant land to provide new low-cost housing. We are growing the scope of this project to provide more than 300 affordable homes and enable closer joint working between health and social care services.” 

Greater Brighton

Greater Brighton leaders welcomed the news as a big boost to the regional economy.

Councillor Garry Wall, Chairman of Greater Brighton, said: “This is an excellent result and is yet another example of how by working together we can bring investment into our City Region.

“Given the high level of competition from around the UK for this fund, it’s a real vote of confidence that we have received this funding. In total, we have now brought in close to £2 million of investment."

One Public Estate

The One Public Estate programme aims to make better use of public sector sites, cut running costs, and free up space for new homes and jobs while improving services to residents. It is a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Local Government Association.

It is designed to encourage the emergency services, local councils and government departments to work more closely together by sharing sites and creating public-sector ‘hubs’ - where services can be delivered in one place.

This latest announcement brings the total amount brought into the region through the Greater Brighton One Public Estate programme to £1,042,500. A further £819,000 has been received in Land Release Fund capital funding to three projects in Brighton & Hove.