Major Government Fund to Unlock Stalled West Midlands Developments
A significant new Government fund worth £165 million is set to unlock thousands of new homes and employment opportunities across the West Midlands. The Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund will target sites where progress has stalled due to funding constraints, specifically focusing on delivering the essential transport improvements and road links needed to get building started.
Bridging the Infrastructure Gap
Launching in the coming weeks, this fund forms a crucial part of the Government's broader Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), which allocates £27 billion for England's motorways and major A-roads from 2026 to 2031. The primary objective is not merely to maintain and renew the existing network but to ensure that England's roads actively support economic growth by removing the infrastructure barriers that have historically held back new homes, jobs, and investment.
Secretary of State Heidi Alexander emphasized, "Too many housing and employment opportunities have stalled for years, held back by the infrastructure that wasn't there to support them. This fund will pave the way for developments that have sat idle for too long, funding the transport links that stalled sites need to get moving and generating new jobs and opportunities for communities that deserve them."
Targeted Support for Communities
The fund will specifically focus on locations on or near motorways and A-roads across England, ensuring that communities can benefit from new homes and the accompanying jobs and opportunities. Housing Secretary Steve Reed added, "For many people, the dream of a decent home, close to work, and with good connections to their community, has been out of reach. This government is firing on all cylinders to get spades in the ground faster so we can build new homes, bolster our transport links and create jobs in the places most in need."
National Highways will invite local authorities in the coming weeks to register developments for consideration, with a rolling programme of funded schemes to be published from the end of 2026/27. This initiative supports the Government's ambitious plan to deliver 1.5 million new homes across England during this Parliament and raise living standards.
Broader Economic and Infrastructure Impact
At the heart of the RIS3 plan is a record £8.4 billion allocated for renewing and resurfacing over 9,000 kilometres of motorway and major A-road lanes. This investment aims to tackle the backlog of ageing roads and worn surfaces that have accumulated over decades. Notably, around two-thirds of structures on the network are now more than 45 years old, and this unprecedented renewals investment will address critical bridges, viaducts, and concrete road surfaces before they reach the end of their service life.
National Highways Executive Director Elliot Shaw stated, "Reliable roads are crucial to housing developments. They shape where people want to live, where businesses want to invest, and where communities can thrive. This fund will help unlock the transport links needed for new homes and jobs and help the government achieve its ambitions on economic growth."
The overall RIS3 investment is expected to support approximately 50,000 jobs across England over the five-year road period, marking a significant boost to both local and national economies. The result will be new homes built, new employment sites created, and communities that have long awaited development finally seeing tangible progress.
