New funding for regional projects

Northern Power House
The Government’s newly set up Transport for the North will shortly publish an interim report, committing to build on the concept of HS3.

This will set out plans for a network of high quality rail connections across the north – known as the TransNorth vision, which Osborne billed as an acceleration of the process.

Other spending pledges included:

• Go-ahead for the electrification of the Selby to Hull line, subject to an acceptable contribution from Hull Trains
• £20m to Health North – funding new centres in Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds-Sheffield
• Sheffield ‘Maker Hub’ – £3.5m government investment to renovate a former Co-Op department store in the Castlegate area
• Leeds ‘Future Labs’ – £3.7m government investment to renovate a derelict police headquarters in the heart of Leeds, creating a 6-floor incubator
• Manchester ‘Forward Plan’ – £4m government investment towards an 8 floor incubator in Federation House, located in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
• £14m for Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre in Sheffield

Midlands

• £60m investment in a new Energy Research Accelerator, to develop the energy technologies of the future
• New Housing Zones at Bassetlaw, Gedling, West Lindsey, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent to deliver 7,500 new homes
• Bringing forward £21.7m for flood and coastal erosion programme with 46 schemes to be delivered early and 8 new schemes

East of England

• £34m extra spend in Croxley rail link extension
• £4m for for Wet Dock Crossing in Ipswich and Lowestoft Third River Crossing
• £11.8m for a new Centre for Agricultural Informatics and Sustainability Metrics in Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• Advancing £16.8m investment in flood defences over the next four years. Key schemes will start in Canvey Island in 2016, and new projects in Great Yarmouth and Canvey Island will be funded within the 6-year programme

South West

• New study looking at reopening Plymouth airport
• New Housing Zones at South Bristol, Hinkley, Poole, Weston-super-Mare, Ashchurch, Gloucester and Foxhill to deliver 11,000 new homes

London

• The government committed to £97m support for the regeneration of Brent Cross to unlock 7,500 homes and support 27,000 jobs
• £7m to support the development of the Croydon Growth Zone, to unlock over 4,000 homes and more than 10,000 jobs

South East

• Bringing forward £41m investment in flood defences, for 40 flood schemes to be delivered early and ten new schemes to be included in the flood and coastal erosion programme