20.06.14
City Deal opens up billion pound investment in Cambridge
The Cambridge City Deal, which could see up to £1bn pumped into the city’s transport network, has been signed with the government.
Following intensive negotiations with Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, The University of Cambridge and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership, the deal will secure hundreds of millions of pounds of additional funding for investment in transport infrastructure to “support high quality economic and housing growth” over the coming decades.
The first £100m of funding will be made available in the five years from April 2015. Transport improvements as a result of the deal will start to be seen within the first year of this period.
If Greater Cambridge is successful in proving these investments drive economic growth, another £200m will be available from April 2020 onwards and a final £200m from April 2025 onwards.
Local partners will invest a further £500m so that around £1bn will be spent on supporting the delivery of vital infrastructure necessary to provide good quality and sustainable growth for the area.
Greg Clark, minister for cities, signed the deal in Cambridge at high-tech company Featurespace. He said: “Cambridge is one of Britain’s most successful cities and the government is backing that success. The Greater Cambridge City Deal is a massive £1bn boost to the local economy, making sure Cambridge has the transport, housing and skills to continue its phenomenal success.”
The deal will accelerate delivery of 33,480 planned homes and enable the delivery of an extra 1,000 new homes – creating more homes for families across the region and allowing people to live and be able to afford homes within a reasonable commuting distance.
Cllr Steve Count, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “This is a real game-changing deal for Greater Cambridge and the surrounding county. It will see a step change in transport infrastructure, create jobs and boost the local economy. The success of this will also be felt outside the Cambridge area so all our communities benefit.”
To decide how the money is spent, Cambridge City Council will now set up a combined authority with South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, which will have responsibility for planning housing and transport across the region. However, this will require a legislative change by Parliament.
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