SCORES of major development projects across the south bank of the Humber are set to benefit from a near £215 million boost for the region.
The Government will today announce the first tranche of winners of its new Local Growth Fund (LGF), with Grimsby and Cleethorpes expected to benefit from millions of pounds of devolved money from private and public sector investment.
With Grimsby straddling both the Humber and Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), the funding from Whitehall could unlock as much as £350 million of private and public sector investment.
The area is set to further consolidate its reputation as a centre for excellence in specialist educational skills, with a large slice of the money going towards training young people for the growing local renewables industry.
Projects include:
A new £1.75 million offshore wind training facility run by Catch (Centre for the Assessment for Technical Competence – Humber) in Stallingborough
A new £2.05 million environmental logistics learning hub by the Grimsby Institute to provide renewable and environmental technology skills for the low-carbon sector.
Cash will also be allocated to improving flood defences, helping to create thousands of new jobs, building thousands of homes and kickstarting new infrastructure projects, including transport improvements.
Among those is Barton Street, the notorious stretch of road that links with the A16 at Ludborough, which has been dubbed one of "Britain's Killer Roads". Junction improvements worth £4.2 million have been earmarked to upgrade key access routes to and from Grimsby in 2016-17, enabling the development of housing and employment sites.
Grimsby town centre will directly benefit from £1.48 million of junction improvements, and a move towards sustainable transport.
Welcoming the announcement, chair of the Humber LEP Lord Haskins said: "With the Siemens announcement, the growing offshore wind sector in Grimsby and the potential of the Able Marine Energy Park, we are realising our ambition to become a national and international centre for renewable energy."
Councillor Chris Shaw, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "We are delighted that these projects have secured support from the Local Growth Fund.
"Key to this area's development is the growing renewables sector. Major operations and maintenance providers are now based at the Port of Grimsby, and to help serve these, with the support of the LGF, we are going to provide specialist offshore wind training at Catch. Additionally, in the centre of Grimsby, a new £8.78 million infrastructure scheme will connect the north and south sides of the town centre to unlock some key development opportunities and high-quality public spaces."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clee, acknowledged the Humber was fast establishing itself as a renewable energy hub "by equipping young people with the right skills for jobs in the local area; creating a new training facility for specialist offshore wind training and a new learning centre for renewable and environmental technology skills which provides funding for over 2,000 additional learners."
Mr Clegg added: "This is a really important day for the people of Grimsby. Over the lifetime of today's deal we'll be investing a total of around £103.5 million in Humberside and a further £111.2 million across Greater Lincolnshire, to help safeguard or create up to 11,000 jobs, allow up to 7,000 homes to be built or refurbished to support major work on flood defences to reduce the risk to over 62,000 properties and generate up to £350 million in public and private investment."
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "For too long our economy has been too London-focused and too centralised. Growth Deals will help change all that. They are about firing up our great towns and cities, boosting local economies and driving growth across the country.
"This historic deal means real change for people and businesses in Lincolnshire and the Humber with big investments, including exciting plans to attract high-growth small businesses to the area.
"By trusting local people, backing business and investing in infrastructure, skills and housing, we can create thousands of new jobs. And that means more economic security, peace of mind and a brighter future for hardworking people across the region."
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