Housing minister Matthew Pennycook gives 70,000 each to 133 councils that applied for additional supportThe government has put new measures in place to speed up the work of local authorities to identify sites which could be classed as grey belt.The ministry of housing, communities and local government (MHCLG) will hand 9.3m to 133 councils that applied for support to review poor quality areas of their green belt sites, giving them 70,000 each.The grey belt land class was introduced in reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in December and is defined as parts of the green belt which do not strongly contribute to three out of five official green belt purposes.Unlocking grey belt sites is seen as a key enabler of the governments ambition to build 1.5 million homes during the course of this parliament.Source: MHCLGMap of green belt sites in EnglandCouncils have been given two-and-a-half years to overhaul their local plans to identify grey belt sites for potential development and find land to accommodate new mandatory housing targets included in the updates to the NPPF.Other measures announced by MHCLG yesterday include regular assessments that aim to ensure councils stay on track to meet their targets, along with guidance around how local plans should be prepared.An additional 4.5m has been given to fund new planning roles in councils as part of proposals to hire 300 extra planners, a target which MHCLG is aiming to exceed by the end of next year.A hike in planning fees for applicants is also expected in order to provide councils with an extra 50m of income to use on hiring more staff and consultants to carry out technical studies and site assessments.Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the government was determined to progress towards universal coverage of local plans.He added: The steps we are taking today will ensure that local plans are simpler, faster to prepare and more accessible so that communities in every part of the country can more easily shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development their areas need.Alongside further guidance and support to help local authorities realise the full potential of this governments planning reforms, these changes will help deliver our ambitious plan for change milestone of building 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.Other measures being deployed by the government to achieve its housing targets include a new homes accelerator, which MHCLG says has unblocked 20,000 delayed homes with the use of planning expertise.Pennycook said earlier this month that work on the first wave of new towns communities each containing 10,000 homes is expected to start within the next four years, with 12 sites to be unveiled this summer.