Ten winning sites will get new housing powers to make its easier and quicker to build new homes and receive share a £200m funding pot.
A further 20 zones will also be created inside London, as part of Government plans to develop brownfield land to provide up to 200,000 new homes.
Most housing zones are expected to be big enough for between 750 and 2,000 homes, but larger schemes will also be considered.
Bids were submitted by councils working with developers for a share of £200m for infrastructure and land remediation to get their ideas off the ground.
Successful zones will also have access to cheaper borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board and priority access to expert planning and technical support from the ATLAS service run by the Homes and Communities Agency.
Areas shortlisted to become housing zones
- Thurrock Thames-Side Towns (Thurrock council)
- Elstree Way Corridor (Hertsmere borough council)
- Slyfield Area Regeneration Project (Guildford borough council)
- Suffolk Rural Growth Housing Zone (Babergh and Mid-Suffolk councils)
- Greater Gainsborough Housing Zone (West Lindsey district council)
- Coseley Housing Zone (Dudley Metropolitan borough council)
- Bescot Friar Park (Sandwell Metropolitan borough council)
- Stoke City Centre Renaissance (Stoke City council)
- Derby City Housing Zone (Derby City council)
- Gedling Colliery (Gedling borough council)
- Harworth, North Nottinghamshire (Bassetlaw district council)
- Aire River Growth Corridor (Wakefield Metropolitan district council)
- North East Lincolnshire Town Centre Living (North East Lincolnshire council)
- York Central Housing Zone (City of York council)
- Hoyland and Dearne Valley Housing Zone, Barnsley (Barnsley Metropolitan district council)
- Exemplar Neighbourhood (Gateshead council)
- Sheffield – Rotherham Don Valley Housing Zone (Sheffield City council)
- Preston Housing Zone (Preston City council)
- Penine-Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen borough council)
- Wirral Waters – North Bank East (Wirral Metropolitan borough council)
- South Bristol HZ (Bristol City council)
- Whitehill and Bordon (East Hampshire district council)
- Weston Super Mare Town Centre (North Somerset council)
- Weston Links/Avoncrest (North Somerset council)
- Ashchurch (Tewkesbury borough council)
- Hinkley Housing Zone (Sedgemoor district council)
- Former Powerstation Site, Poole (borough of Poole council)
- Foxhill (Bath and North East Somerset council)
- Gloucester City Growth Zone (Gloucester City council)
