A multi-million pound package of government support will unlock development of a new Devon community and create thousands of jobs.

Housing Minister Mark Prisk announced a £32 million injection of funding for the new town of Sherford, near Plymouth, that will bring forward the delivery of 5,500 new homes and help create 5,000 local jobs.

Despite plans for the new community being adopted in 2007 with widespread local support, progress has stalled.

After years of delays the government's intervention will now kick-start construction of new homes and a host of community facilities for the South Hams district, including 4 schools, a new town hall, a sports centre and community park.

The development will deliver a powerful boost to the local economy. Over the next 15 years the development will generate £1 billion of construction investment and inject a further £2 billion into the local area.

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The announcement is the latest allocation of funding, earmarked by the Chancellor in last year's Autumn Statement, for the delivery of at least 50,000 new homes in large, locally-supported housing programmes.

The investment in Sherford will bring the total number of homes unlocked through the programme to 41,000. This intervention builds on the deals made for a 6,300-home site at Cranbrook near Exeter, a 6,000-home site at Fairfield near Milton Keynes, and a site for over 22,000 homes at the Eastern Quarry development near Ebbsfleet in Kent. A further £234,000 of funding for the Cranbrook development was also announced today, to help local partners deliver the project.

Mr Prisk said the large sites programme shows the government is making strong progress to boost housebuilding.

Mr Prisk said: "This government is determined to get Britain building again. That’s why we have carefully selected large, planned housing schemes that already have the support of local people, but need help to move forward.

"Sherford is the fourth site to receive support, and brings the total number of homes unlocked through the large sites programme to 41,000. Our intervention will also create thousands of jobs and inject billions of pounds of investment into the local economy."

(CD/MH)