A rebranded national agency has been launched today by housing secretary Sajid Javid in a bid to boost housebuilding.

Homes England - a successor to the Homes and Communities Agency - has been tasked with delivering an average of 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

The rebranded agency will play a major role in securing land and resourcing brownfield sites from across the country.

Chief executive, Nick Walkley, said: 'As Homes England, we will use our land, finance and expertise to expand the delivery of affordable new homes and connect ambitious partners to remove barriers to house building.'

Homes England will also develop a new commercial approach to acquiring, preparing, managing and developing land in areas of high demand and strategic importance.

Chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Terrie Alafat, said: ''The agency promises to bring together a greater range of strategic powers and resources, which, combined with its expertise, will allow it to take new and innovative approaches, which could make a real difference to get us building more homes at a crucial time.'