Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
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Government delivers £170 million transport funding for new housing

Government delivers £170 million transport funding for new housing

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT News Release (065) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 27 March 2009

£170 million of funding is today being allocated to 29 transport projects that will support the development of new housing, announced Housing Minister Margaret Beckett and Transport Minister Paul Clark.

Good transport links are essential to any new housing development, and this funding will unlock the potential in several regions for delivering the new homes that will help to ease long-term housing need from first time buyers and families on waiting lists.

The 29 projects, paid for from the Community Infrastructure Fund, will deliver a range of new vital transport projects across the regions such as rapid bus routes, pedestrian and cycle bridges, and improvements to road junctions. They will also protect and create 2,200 jobs and directly support 40,000 new homes to be built over the next decade, which in turn will further support employment, as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus to support the economy in the current climate.

Margaret Beckett said:

"This funding will help to deliver new homes that we desperately need to meet long term demand from first time buyers and families on waiting lists. We know that good transport links are vital to successful communities and these projects will unlock the potential for new housing where it is needed. By investing today in tomorrow's infrastructure we are helping to ensure the foundations are in place to support economic recovery, while also creating and safeguarding jobs right now."
Paul Clark said:

"I am delighted by the quality and range of schemes that we are funding. Around 60 per cent of the schemes that we are supporting include sustainable transport initiatives - reflecting a real commitment to supporting housing growth through sustainable means.

"Transport is essential to supporting housing growth and the Community Infrastructure Fund is real evidence of the significant focus that Government places on this critical policy."

The 29 schemes allocated funding are all small to medium scale transport projects in locations that are committed to building more homes and are keen to deliver improvements to their transport infrastructure to support this growth, as part of the Government's specially designated Growth Areas and Growth Points programme.

The 29 schemes that have been allocated funding today show the important role transport infrastructure can play in developing new communities. The types of schemes include:

* New public transport facilities, such as the new South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit scheme;

* New road and junction improvements, such as the improvements to the Southgate area of Kings Lynn which will support the development of 900 new homes;

* Innovative transport solutions that will ensure smoother traffic flows and reduced congestion such as the A14 Ramp Metering scheme in Kettering and the Urban Traffic Management Scheme in Aylesbury; and

* Schemes to improve sustainability, such as the Wichestowe Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge which will provide a sustainable means for the new development at Wichelstowe to access the town centre in Swindon

Another 26 schemes are being invited to submit full business cases for consideration for a further £30m from the Community Infrastructure Fund together with any remaining funding from the first round. Decisions will be announced over the summer.

Reflecting the Government's commitment to promoting travel choice, as part of the action against climate change, over half the schemes announced today by Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport propose sustainable transport solutions such as bus routes, rail improvement or park and ride facilities, with some schemes covering a combination of travel modes.

The Community Infrastructure Fund is being managed on behalf of Government by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Notes to Editors

* The Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) is a joint Communities and Local Government/Department for Transport fund specifically designed to fund transport schemes that support housing growth. The first CIF programme (CIF1) ran from 2006-2008.

* £300m has been ringfenced for a second CIF programmes (CIF2) for the CSR07 period, £100m for the Thames Gateway and £200m for the Growth Areas and Growth Points. Local authorities putting forward bids into the scheme were also able to take account of the impact of potential eco-towns in their area.

* This is part of the £1.7bn Communities and Local Government is investing across the Growth Areas, the Thames Gateway and Growth Points during the CSR07 period.

* The key criteria for schemes funding through CIF are that they should be vital locally to unlocking large housing development sites, enabling the acceleration of housing development and/ or improving the sustainability of major locations of housing growth.

* Today's announcement does two things. Firstly, it allocates £170m from CIF2 to fund 29 projects in the Growth Areas and the Growth Points.

* Secondly, it invites a further 26 projects to submit full business cases for consideration in the second round Growth Points including projects to provide a new rail station at Chorley, new cycling facilities at Ellesmere Port and road improvements to service high frequency bus services in Newcastle.

* This funding is in addition to the £833m already provided to the Growth Areas and Growth Points from the Growth Fund over the CSR07 period.

Schemes allocated funding under the Community Infrastructure Fund 2: Round 1

Project Name            Growth Area/Growth      Region    Allocation
                              Point                             £m
      Cambridge Gateway       Cambridgeshire          East      3
      Postwick Hub, Norwich   Greater Norwich         East      21
      (**)                    Development Partnership
      Ipswich central area    Haven Gateway           East      3.45
      transport improvements
      New A12 Junction,       Haven Gateway           East      11.2
      Colchester (**)
      King's Lynn South       King's Lynn             East      5.3
      Transport Major
      First Avenue,           London-Harlow-Stansted  East      3.58
      Multi-modal Corridor, Phase II, Harlow
      A414 dualling, Harlow   London-Harlow-Stansted  East      9.9 (**)
      Luton Parkway Station   Luton & South           East      1
      (**)                    Bedfordshire
      Waterside Sanvey Gate   3 Cities & 3 Counties   East      1.85
      Junction Improvement,                           Midlands Leicester
      Birstall Park and Ride, 3 Cities & 3 Counties   East      2.75
      Leicester                                       Midlands
      A14 Kettering - Ramp    North Northamptonshire  East      1.3
      Metering                                        Midlands
      Northampton Modal-Shift West Northamptonshire   East      6.87
      Measures                                        Midlands
      Northampton to          North Northamptonshire  East      5.3
      Wellingborough Bus                              Midlands
      Rapid Transit
      Tottenham Hale Gyratory Haringey                London    4 (**)
      Victoria Way, Ashford   Ashford                 South     16.5
                                                      East
      Urban Traffic           Aylesbury Vale          South     4.55
      Management & Control                            East
      System, Aylesbury
      Milton Keynes Busway    Milton Keynes           South     5.6
                                                      East
      South East Hampshire    Partnership for Urban   South     20
      Bus Rapid Transit       South Hampshire         East
      Reading Station         Reading                 South     4.37
      Interchange                                     East
      Junction 30 Improvement Exeter & East Devon     South     1.5
      on M5, Exeter                                   West
      M5 Segregated Crossing, Exeter & East Devon     South     5.5
      Exeter                                          West
      Plymouth East End       Plymouth                South     9.78
      Community Transport                             West Improvements
      Wichelstowe Pedestrian  Swindon                 South     2.09
      & Cycle Bridge, Swindon                         West
      Cole Hall Lane Bridge,  Birmingham & Solihull   West      2.11
      Birmingham                                      Midlands
      Icknield Port Loop,     Birmingham & Solihull   West      2.87
      Birmingham                                      Midlands
      Paragon Park, Coventry  Coventry                West      2.16
                                                      Midlands
      Sustainable Transport,  East Staffordshire      West      3.3
      Burton on Trent                                 Midlands
      A38 Grade Separated     East Staffordshire      West      6.5
      Junction at Branston,                           Midlands
      Burton on Trent
      West of Worcester Bus   Worcester               West      3.2
      Rapid Transit Corridor                          Midlands
                                                                170.53 


(**) All schemes marked ** are subject to additional conditions being met.

Schemes in the 2nd Round Growth Points invited to submit full business cases for further consideration


PROJECT NAME             GROWTH AREA/ POINT   REGION        TOTAL
                                                                  BID(£)
      Shoreham Harbour         Shoreham South Coast South East    5.00
      Regeneration
      Chiverton Cross Junction Kerrier and          South West    3.85
      Improvements             Restormel
      Dover Priory Railway     Dover                South East    3.30
      Station
      West Bromwich Southern   Black                West Midlands 4.00
      Distributor              Country/Sandwell
      Teignbridge - Newton     Teignbridge          South West    4
      Abbot Infrastructure Package
      Chorley Buckshaw Parkway Central Lancashire   North West    3.30
                               and Blackpool
      A23/235 Corridor -       London Borough of    London        8.00
      Purley regenration and   Croydon infrastructure
      improvement and housing growth project
      Gainsborough Transport   Gainsborough         East Midlands 5.00
      Infrastructure
      Tees Valley A19 (T)/ A66 Tees Valley          North East    6.30
      (T) Network Management Strategy
      Access to Carlisle       Carlisle             North West    4.00
      Housing Growth Points
      Wirral Waters            Mersey Heartlands    North West    2.90
      Dover - Junction         Dover                South East    1.61
      Improvements to Prioritise Sustainable Transport
      Dover -Sustainable       Dover                South East    0.50
      transport interchange
      Stafford New Growth      Stafford             West Midlands 2.65
      Point Sustainable Transport Package
      Chapelford and Bruche -  Mid Mersey           North West    1.76
      Pedestrian and Cycle Accesibility
      Ellesmere Port           West Cheshire        North West    0.75
      Waterfront
      Vale Royal - Access      West Cheshire        North West    1.65
      Weaver Programme
      Doncaster A638 - Quality Doncaster and South  Yorkshire and 1.45
      Bus Corridor and Cycle   Yorkshire            Humber Links
      St Helens Cycle and      Mid Mersey           North West    0.26
      Pedestrian Links to Stations
      Pedestrian Route -       Leeds City Region    Yorkshire and 0.9
      Beechnut Lane to Stuart                       Humber
      Road Pontefract
      Newcastle Quaylink (Q2)  Newcatle and         North East    0.93
      Link Road                Gateshead
      Sedgefield - Merrington  South and East       North East    0.53
      Lane                     Durham
      Coundon Transport        South and East       North East    0.92
      Solution                 Durham
      A19/Peterlee Centre      South and East       North East    1.10
                               Durham
      Dearne Valley            Doncaster and South  Yorkshire and 2.53
      Improvement Package      Yorkshire/ Leeds     Humber
                               City Region
      Rotherham Urban Centre - Doncaster and South  Yorkshire and 2.37
      Vehicle and Pedestrian   Yorkshire            Humber Access
                                                                  70.1 



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