Four local authorities across Norfolk and Suffolk have secured more than £37m in Government funding to provide the infrastructure for new projects to build more than 10,000 homes across the East.
Grants from the Housing Infrastructure Fund were announced today by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The four projects to receive funding in Norfolk and Suffolk are:
- Thetford Northern Sustainable Urban Extension: £9.95m – Breckland District Council
- Ipswich Garden Suburb: £9.9m – Ipswich Borough Council
- Norwich Anglia Square: £12.2m – Norwich City Council
- A11 Cringleford: £5.5m – South Norfolk District Council
Thetford, Ipswich and Norwich are all Priority Places within the Norfolk and Suffolk Economic Strategy, identified as areas with significant potential for further economic growth with an immediate need for new housing. The Cringleford and Thetford sites also sit along the Cambridge-Norwich Tech Corridor, while the Ipswich Garden Suburb forms part of the Ipswich Vision.
The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme of up to £2.3 billion, which will help to deliver up to 100,000 new homes in England. During 2017, local authorities were invited to bid for funding for new infrastructure that will unlock new homes in the areas of greatest housing demand.
Marginal Viability Funding provides the final, or missing, piece of infrastructure funding to get additional sites allocated or existing sites unblocked quickly.
Doug Field, Chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is vital funding as we look to achieve our ambition of 140,000 new homes in the East by 2036, as set out in the Norfolk and Suffolk Economic Strategy. New Anglia LEP supported all four projects during the bidding process. We’re delighted that Government recognised the significance of each, both to their local area and to our wider ambitions for economic growth.”
Housing Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Our priority is building the homes this country desperately needs. This first wave of investment totalling £866 million will help get up to 200,000 homes off the ground, making a huge difference to communities across the country. This is just one of the many ways this government is taking action to get Britain building homes again.”
Terry Hunt, Ipswich Vision chair, said: “This money for infrastructure is extremely good news. It is a huge boost for the Ipswich Garden Suburb, and will hopefully kick-start the project to provide much-needed new housing for Ipswich. This in turn will be of great benefit to the town’s economy.”
