- New £165 million fund will unblock housing and
employment sites across
England, delivering the critical road
infrastructure that developers need to get building.
- The investment targets stalled developments across
England where funding gaps have made progress difficult,
with a deliberate focus on areas that have historically struggled
to access the funding needed.
- Part of the Government's Road Investment Strategy - the
biggest long-term investment in England's motorways and major
A-roads in a generation - with over £27 billion committed to keep
the country moving and drive growth in every region.
Thousands of new homes and jobs are set to be unlocked as the
Government launches a new £165 million 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 1.5 million new homes
across England this Parliament.
The new fund forms part of Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), the
Government's £27 billion 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 said:
"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 …
… to get moving and generating new jobs and opportunities for
communities that deserve them. “It is a deliberate choice - and a
signal that this Government is serious about removing the
barriers to growth.”
Housing Secretary said:
"For many people, the dream of a decent home, close to work, and
with good connections to their community, has been out of reach.
“This government is firing on all cylinders …
… create jobs in the places most in need. "This is exactly the
kind of targeted, practical action that will help us reach 1.5
million new homes and create thriving communities where people
can put down roots.”
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 result will be new homes built, new employment
sites and jobs created, and communities that have
waited for development finally seeing it happen.
National Highways Executive Director Elliot Shaw
said:
“Reliable roads are crucial to housing developments. They shape
where people want to live, where businesses want to invest, and
where communities can thrive.
“This fund will help unlock the transport links needed for new
homes and jobs and help the government achieve its ambitions on
economic growth.”
At the heart of the Government's RIS3 plan 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 have built up over decades.
Around two thirds of structures on the network are now over 45
years old, and this unprecedented renewals investment will
address critical bridges, viaducts and concrete road surfaces
before they reach the end of their life.
The overall RIS3 investment is expected to support around 50,000
jobs across England over the five-year road period.
Notes to editors
- The Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund is a National
Programme within RIS3, running from 2026/27 to 2030/31 and
delivered by National Highways.
- The fund provides flexible gap-funding for housing and
employment sites on or near the Strategic Road Network (motorways
and major A-roads managed by National Highways) where development
viability is challenged and no alternative funding source is
available.
- Eligible projects are expected to include
new junctions, bypasses, active travel links and other
transport infrastructure directly enabling development.
- National Highways will publish a continuous rolling programme
of delivery from the end of 2026/27 and will invite local
authorities to register developments for consideration.
- RIS3 covers the period April 2026 to March 2031 and was
announced on 26 March 2026. The Road Investment Strategy is a
statutory document under the Infrastructure Act 2015.
- An interactive map of all RIS3 schemes is available
at: https://maps.dft.gov.uk/road-schemes-spring-2026/index.html
- RIS3 investment is expected to support around 50,000 jobs
across England.
- National Highways manages approximately 4,500 miles of
England's motorways and major A-roads on behalf of the
Government.
