The move is part of a £1.3bn investment package confirmed by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick today.

Successful projects being funded include:

• £23m for phase 1 of the development of commercial space at Mayfield Park in Greater Manchester, expected to deliver 3,200 jobs and attract over 1 million visitors a year
• £14.88m to accelerate the National Brownfield Land Institute, a project aiming to create a leader in sustainable construction which will support the housing deal and drive levelling up across the region
• £12m to support a new high-speed railway station in Thanet, Kent, improving transport in the area and creating 800 new jobs

For a full list of the projects receiving funding click here.

To deliver a further 26,000 new homes while protecting greenfield sites, the government has also confirmed a £360m investment in Mayoral Combined Authority areas through its £400m Brownfield Fund.

A further £8m of funding has also been announced to help speed up the delivery of these new homes on brownfield sites and the government is inviting ambitious bids from the Mayoral Combined Authorities for the remaining £40m of the fund.

Details of the new £2bn Green Homes Grant scheme, which will see the government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, have also been announced.

Tradespeople must register for TrustMark accreditation to take part in the scheme, which will cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of low-carbon heating, like heat pumps or solar thermal.

Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.

The funding commitments come ahead of a radical overhaul of the planning system due to be announced shortly.