Government Launches £700m Strategic Sites Accelerator to Unlock Major Development Projects
The programme will use public capital, technical support and a private delivery partner to remove planning, grid and financing barriers and attract private investment to stalled sites.
Overview
- The government publicly launched the Strategic Sites Accelerator on Monday, committing £700 million to help six to ten commercially viable industrial and commercial sites move forward.
- CBRE will act as the national delivery partner and the programme will be coordinated with the Office for Investment, the National Wealth Fund and local leaders.
- Applicants can seek loans, equity, grants and planning and grid-connection expertise, with applications open until 19 January 2027.
- The scheme will prioritise sites with clear investor demand across the UK — officials are already scoping options in Glasgow, Sheffield and Burgess Hill and will consider regions including Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands.
- Ministers say the fund is aimed at levering up to £2 billion of private investment and unlocking tens of thousands of jobs as part of a wider devolution push that gives mayors a greater role in local growth.