Nearly £16 million has been released by the Government to help councils speed up planning decisions on residential developments.

A total of £15.8m from the Planning Delivery Fund will go towards helping local authorities process more applications, implement new reforms and also train planners to tackle the housing challenges faced by their local area.

In addition, the funding will support local authorities working together on ambitious new joint local plans and core strategies, which will engage residents on how future development will take place in their areas and outline the locations suitable for new homes where demand is high.

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The first wave has been split into three streams that will assist in delivering new homes across England; The Joint Working Fund (£9.4m), Design Quality Fund (£4.82m) and Promoting Innovation Fund (£1.07m).

Announcing the funding, Housing and Planning Minister Dominic Raab said: "This cash boost ensures councils have the resources needed to make quicker decisions on planning applications, delivering quality housing at a faster rate.

"It's part of our strategy to build the homes this country needs whilst also supporting residents to have their say on the kind of development that takes place in their area."

A total of 68 projects from Gateshead to Cornwall will receive funding from the Planning Delivery Fund across all three streams, from 2017 until 2019.

(LM/MH)