MORE than £11 million of government funding has now been secured, subject to contract, to transform an empty car park near Basildon Town Centre into 105 affordable homes for local people, Basildon Council and Sempra Homes have announced.

The Chapelgate development at Laindon Link, Basildon is being delivered by Sempra Homes – Basildon Council's subsidiary housebuilding company – and will consist of 35 houses and 70 apartments.

The announcement came as Basildon Council and Sempra Homes revealed they had been successful in a bid for £7,684,669 in grant funding from Homes England.

Basildon Council and Sempra Homes previously secured £2.5million in Brown Infrastructure Land (BIL) funding, and £1.4million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF). In total, Basildon Council and Sempra Homes have secured more than £11million to deliver this long-awaited housing scheme.

Leader of Basildon Council, Councillor Gavin Callaghan said: "The government's decision to award Basildon £11 million to build affordable homes, of which 70 will be brand new council homes, shows that they understand how ambitious we are in Basildon to build the homes our public desperately need.

"We are already working to make sure that local Basildon businesses are in the supply chain to build these homes and that they are for local Basildon residents who want to continue to build their lives in our borough. This is the first of many exciting housing schemes that we have coming forward and we are excited to be working in partnership with the Government wherever possible, to get new homes built."

Pauline Schaffer, Director of Infrastructure Funding at Homes England, said: "As the Government's housing and regeneration agency, our mission is to support the creation of new homes and thriving communities.

"Providing funding for infrastructure is one of the ways we can help, to remove barriers and unlock land so housebuilders can get on and build. Chapelgate will not only bring a disused brownfield site back to life, it will address local housing need in Basildon and go on to provide a place for people to call home."

The 105 new homes will be available for private sale and to those on Basildon Council's housing waiting list.

All of the homes will meet national space standards and will be energy efficient with electric vehicle charging points and air source heating systems.

As part of the s106 agreement, Sempra Homes is also making financial contributions in excess of £700,000 towards local infrastructure. This funding will support NHS healthcare provision, primary and secondary schools, open spaces, culture, play and sports facilities, highways and pedestrian access, and sustainable transport.

Melanie Keys, Service Manager at Sempra Homes said: "This funding is the result of an unwavering commitment by all partners to bring forward this development, which will help address the acute need for housing locally, and also act as a catalyst for economic growth in the town centre, increasing footfall, creating inclusive, thriving, communities for generations to come.

"I would like to thank our Development team, Basildon Council, the Infrastructure and Affordable Housing teams at Homes England, One Public Estate, South Essex Councils (SEC) and our construction partners The Hill Group for their hard work and determination to overcome site constraints and economic hurdles to ensure project viability and advancement of this development."

Sempra Homes has entered into contract with The Hill Group to construct the homes.