Thanet District Council secures £2.5 million towards road infrastructure

On Tuesday 6 February, Thanet District Council announced that it has successfully secured funding of approx. £2.5 million to help unlock potential homes, following a bid submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for an allocation of the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

The bid was submitted in order to take advantage of available Government funding to support planned development in Thanet.

The Council plans for the funding to be used towards the provision of a new roundabout and associated road connections at the junction of Manston Road and Haine Road in Ramsgate as identified in the Thanet Transport Strategy. This will support better movement of residents and visitors around Thanet, and drive the building of homes on the Manston Green site. The funding secured allows for the planned housing development to be accelerated by ensuring that the associated highways infrastructure is in place first.

This success is the result of hard work by Thanet District Council and Kent County Council, and supported by Homes England, which has seen the organisations collaborate to secure the success of the bid.

Cllr Fairbrass, Deputy Leader of Thanet District Leader said:

“Thanks to the detailed work of our planning team, this fund will finance essential road infrastructure to help kick start much needed new homes in Thanet. Whenever developments are proposed, our residents are rightly concerned about demand on roads, school, employment, recreation space, shops but local roads is always the main one. Securing this funding highlights that we take these concerns seriously and will be focused on making necessary improvements.”

KCC Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste Mike Whiting said:

“I am delighted that the merits of this scheme have been recognised by government with the award of £2.5 million in funding.

“Providing the road infrastructure ahead of new homes being built will significantly help manage the subsequent traffic impact on the highway network as well as providing access to reliable journeys for isle residents.

“The success of this bid is another excellent example of collaborative working between the district and county council and we look forward to working with Thanet District Council in progressing this scheme.”

Nick Walkley, Chief Executive of Homes England said:

“Homes England will work with the successful Local Authorities to help ensure that the investment they receive is used as effectively as possible to ramp up the delivery of much needed homes.

“Homes England will offer experience in delivering complex housing schemes and project management skills to help ensure that the new homes are built as quickly as possible and support ambitions for local growth.”

The Council will be working with the MCHLG  in the coming months to finalise the project, which aims to drive delivery of housing on the Manston Green site which has outline planning permission for 785 homes, a primary school, small scale retail unit, community hall and public open space as well as highways infrastructure works (including a single carriageway link road).

Note to editors:

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. Funding is awarded to local authorities on a highly competitive basis, providing grant funding for new infrastructure that will unlock new homes in the areas of greatest housing demand.

In total, there were 13 successful bids in the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) accounting for £1 in every £10 being allocated.