Gloucester City Council has welcomed a £477,903 grant from the Government's Brownfield Land Release Fund to develop 32 apartments as part of the Forum Development £107m regeneration scheme.

The funding, secured through a competitive process, will allow the removal of the dilapidated former Thai restaurant on Market Parade in addition to the extensive decontamination and archaeological surveying of the grounds.

It will enable Gloucester City Council to prepare the land for a project to build 32 modern apartments adjacent to the 19 newly built Whitefriars apartments.

It is part of a wider urban housing scheme that includes 25 affordable apartments and forms part of the £200 million Kings Quarter Regeneration in Gloucester city centre, being delivered by Gloucester City Council and its partners Reef, and the University of Gloucestershire.

The funding was announced as part of the second phase of the £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund, with cash going directly to councils so they can release the land and get building as soon as possible.

Gloucester has previously welcomed a significant £2.2 million grant from the government's Brownfield Land Release Fund to develop a new urban village at St Oswalds that would see 300 new homes, 180 of which will be affordable homes. This project will see nine acres of land adjacent to St Oswalds Retail Park redeveloped by Rooftop Housing Association.

Cllr Richard Cook, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "I am delighted that this Government funding will help us to create new homes in our city and bring a disused site back to life. It is another step on the massive regeneration project that is well underway in the city centre as we transform Gloucester."