Investment in South West is welcomed

THE government commitment to spending on infrastructure and levelling up across the South West has been welcomed in the region as real evidence of a new pledge to raising the fortunes of the region.

A series of transport, regeneration, housing and flood prevention schemes across the South West feature in the National Infrastructure Strategy.

Clear commitments to the South West and Peninsula include:

A new railway station at Edginswell in Torquay, thanks to £7.8million funding confirmed in the Spending Review.”

Restoring rail links to Okehampton in Devon”, via a £500million fund to restore transport services lost in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s

Development funding to progress seven other rail schemes in the South West, including opening the station in Cullompton.£59million for Plymouth, including £12million to improve walking and cycling, via the Transforming Cities Fund.

Work and plans are progressing on several other schemes not mentioned by name, including the upgrade of the rail line at Dawlish.

Nine South West towns will receive up to £25million each via the Towns Fund to support major regeneration plans, including Torquay.

Seven South West projects have been awarded a total of £526million via the Housing Infrastructure Fund to unlock thousands of new homes, including £55.1million for South West Exeter.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The projects in this strategy, including £27billion of public funding next year, will create wealth and thousands of jobs to repair some of the scars from the pandemic.” He drew specific attention to the dualling of the A303, including plans for a tunnel to improve traffic flow past Stonehenge in his foreword.

And he said the strategy reaffirms that “the government will invest in the South West to help rebalance the UK economy”.

Chairman of the Peninsula Transport Shadow Sub National Transport Body, Cllr Geoff Brown, said: “We warmly welcome the government’s commitment through the National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS). Investment is critical to the South West economy whether it is on rail, roads, ports, airports, broadband upgrades or charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

“We are also greatly encouraged by the commitment of the government to Sub National Transport Bodies (STBs) and the £425,000 of funding agreed with Department for Transport for our strategic transport work this year. However as always we await the detail on some of the wider spending announcements just to see how much benefit they will provide for the Peninsula.”

Highlights which may support the Peninsula from the government’s spending review include:

A package of Covid-19 support to keep critical transport links available, including an agreement that the Treasury will absorb risks associated with rail passenger revenue.

£4billion Levelling Up Fund, including up to £600m in 2021/22, with the additional funding spread over the remaining years to 2023/24 with details on bidding due in the New Year.

£27.5billion for England’s Strategic Roads.

£1.7billion for potholes and local road upgrades including £310m for the major road network and large local major schemes programmes.

£420million bus funding (£120m for zero emission buses and £300m for recovery & transformation)

£257million cycling and walking funding.

The Eastern entrance to the new tunnel near Stonehenge