A CASH windfall designed to create small new housing sites in Craven has been secured by Craven District Council.

MP for Skipton and Ripon Julian Smith has welcomed the news that Craven will get £662,125 to help release some of its unused or surplus land for building new homes.

Housing and planning minister, Dominic Raab said: "We are investing £45 million to build roads and provide utilities, so councils can release the land to get 7,280 new homes built. It's part of our strategy to build the homes Britain needs and carry local communities with us. We're determined to make buying or renting more affordable for young families and those on low or middle incomes."

MP Mr Smith said: "It is important local authorities have access to the support they need to help them to release more land, more efficiently, and I am delighted Craven now has the funding to bring sites forward for housing that would not have otherwise been developed."

The pot of money has been set up to help unlock enough council-owned land to create at least 160,000 dwellings by 2020.

Housing and planning minister Dominic Raab said the fund was "part of our strategy to build the homes Britain needs".

"We're determined to make buying or renting more affordable for young families and those on low or middle incomes," he added.