It’s the second phase of bidding under the Homes and Communities Agency’s 2015-2018 £1.7bn AHP.

Earlier in this the first round of bidding saw £886m allocated to 2,697 firm schemes set to deliver 43,821 new affordable homes.

The government hopes the funding will contribute to meeting a target of building 165,000 new affordable homes by March 2018.

HCA chief executive Andy Rose said: “We have already set in place a solid delivery programme that puts us on track to make a significant contribution towards government’s aspirations for up to 165,000 new affordable homes by March 2018, while supporting overall housing supply and local people and places.

“It will also help ensure a smooth transition from our current affordable homes programme, delivering firm schemes that can start on site promptly.

“Opening for bidding for the remaining funding under CME will give new and existing partners the opportunity to bring forward bids to meet their future development aspirations.

“We will use our strong relationships with local authorities to ensure that allocations under the affordable homes programme continue to support local priorities.”