More than £860 million is being invested to help deliver hundreds of thousands of homes across England.

Housing Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Philip Hammond have today, 01 February, announced the government is boosting 133 council-led projects with an £866m investment, helping to unlock up to 200,000 new homes.

The funding is being allocated from the £5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, which will help deliver the government's target of building 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s.

Funding will go towards infrastructure projects including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work.

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Projects from County Durham to Cornwall will receive funding including:

• £10 million for highway infrastructure to unlock further development at the Ashton Green housing site in Leicester, helping to unlock 3,300 homes

• £10 million for construction of a bypass in Botley, Hampshire, a critical strategic road infrastructure project that will help unlock the delivery of 1,000 new homes

• £3.6 million for drainage works, new roads and footpaths at the Manor Cluster, south-east Sheffield to help unlock more than 400 homes by 2025

• £6.5 million to help build a new primary school as part of the Ilfracombe Southern Extension in North Devon, helping to unlock 750 new homes.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said: "Today marks the first step of the multi-billion pound investment we announced at the Budget to help build the homes our country needs.

"This fund finances vital infrastructure such as roads, schools and bridges, which will kick-start housing development in some of Britain's highest-demand areas.

"This support will help us meet our ambitious plan of building 300,000 new homes each year and ensure we have enough housing in areas which need it most."

(LM/MH)