Thousands of new homes and jobs are set to be unlocked, claims the UK government.

It’s launched a £165m fund to remove the barriers holding back housing and key growth developments across England.

The new Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund will target sites where progress has stalled due to funding constraints, delivering the transport improvements and links needed to get building started.

Launching in the coming weeks, it supports the government’s plan to raise living standards and deliver 1.5m new homes across England this Parliament.

The new fund forms part of the government’s £27 billion strategy for England’s motorways and major A-roads from 2026 to 2031.

Announced last week, it is designed not just to maintain and renew the existing network, but to ensure England’s roads actively support economic growth, removing the infrastructure barriers that have held back new homes, jobs and investment.

The new Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund will bridge the funding gap for critical transport works to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing and employment sites.

It will focus on locations on or near to motorways and A-roads across England, ensuring communities can benefit from new homes and the jobs and opportunities that come with them.

Secretary of State Heidi Alexander says: “Too many housing and employment opportunities have stalled for years, held back by the infrastructure that wasn’t there to support them.

“This fund will pave the way for developments that have sat idle for too long, funding the transport links that stalled sites need to get moving and generating new jobs and opportunities for communities that deserve them.”

National Highways will invite local authorities in the coming weeks to register developments for consideration and publish a rolling programme of funded schemes from the end of 2026/27.

The government insists that the result will be new homes built, new employment sites and jobs created, and communities that have waited for development finally seeing it happen.

At the heart of the government’s strategy is a record £8.4 billion for renewing and resurfacing over 9,000 kilometres of motorway and major A-road lanes – tackling the backlog of ageing roads and worn surfaces that has built up over decades.

Around two thirds of structures on the network are now over 45 years old, and this renewals investment will address critical bridges, viaducts and concrete road surfaces before they reach the end of their life.

The overall investment is expected to support around 50,000 jobs across England over the 5-year road period.