07/04/2004

Thousands of new homes to be sited on surplus NHS land

More than 15,000 new homes are to be built on surplus NHS land, the government has announced today.

Over 100 sites are involved, totalling over 1,650 hectares - equivalent to the size of Hammersmith and Fulham combined. The land will be used to tackle housing shortages as part of the £22 billion Sustainable Communities Plan.

A third of the dwellings will be affordable and made available to key workers like teachers and nurses.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said that the agreement to transfer the land from the NHS to his department would "unlock major brownfield sites".

Health Secretary John Reid said the NHS would benefit twice – once from an injection of cash, and secondly by providing homes for key workers like nurses.

"Staff are the public sector's greatest asset and it is vital that we work across government departments to provide them with the opportunity to live and work where they choose and where the need to recruit is the greatest," said Mr Reid.

(gmcg)

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