Brownfield sites are set to become homes after a £1.6m grant

Derelict industrial sites in north Kent are to become affordable homes thanks to a £1.6 million government grant.

Gravesham Borough Council received the money from the Department for Leveling’s Disadvantaged Land Release Fund.

The money will be used to redevelop Milton Place in Gravesend.

It will be the first project for the Gravesend Community Investment Partnership (GCIP), a collaboration between the council and developer The Hill Group.

The authority received £1,628,757 from the fund, while GCIP is expected to issue a planning application for Milton Place in the near future.

Karina O’Malley, cabinet member for housing services, said: “We have ambitious plans to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing and reduce the number of households on our housing register.

“We are already delivering on our promise to build hundreds of new council-owned homes with our development at Armory Drive, Gravesham, which opened earlier this year, and work is starting on new homes in St Patrick’s Gardens.”

Andy Hill, chief executive of the Hill Group, said: “Securing this government funding is a critical step forward in making our plans a reality.”