Investment in South Hampshire

2009-2011

Proposals for PUSH's capital investment programme for 2009/2010 PDF 141Kb and capital investment programme for 2010/11 PDF 113Kb were approved at the 19 March 2009 and 26 January 2010 meetings of the Joint Committee respectively. The proposed capital spend was based upon the 'preferred programme' in the 2008 Programme of Development PDF 902Kb submitted by PUSH to the Department of Communities and Local Government in October 2008.

Substantial funding was designated to the regeneration of Eastleigh River Side, specifically focussed on strategic land assembly and advanced works, aimed at environmental improvement and mitigation for future development.

Further support was provded for sustainability initiatives including drainage and energy schemes seeking to release the potential for urban capacity development.

PUSH continued its ongoing support for housing regeneration schemes through substantioal funding for projects at Rowner in Gosport, Somerstown in Portsmouth and Hinkler Parade in Southampton. This early provision of capital will serve to gap fund these ambitious schemes targeting deprived areas and communities facing significant problems that go well beyond the physical condition of the dwelling stock and the general environment.

Funding for creative industries in Portsmouth also received a significant boost through the provision of £700,000 towards the Theatre Royal project being led by the University of Portsmouth.

It has been recognised for some time by both PUSH and TfSH, that Growth Point Funding is not available at the scale needed to deliver the major transport schemes that are needed to support further development and growth in South Hampshire and indeed to deal with the infrastructure backlog from previous growth. Therefore the TfSH bids to the PUSH capital programme were based on the same approach as other themes within PUSH, seeking to secure capital investment for enabling purposes, gap funding and smaller scale, but strategically important projects. With this in mind the phased improvement works at Junction 5 of the M27 and a new motorway junction at Tipner were considered strategic priorities and received substantial funding.

2008/2009

Having received an allocation of £6.768m from government, the PUSH Joint Committee approved the capital programme for the 2008/2009 PDF 187Kb financial year on 16 September 2008 with investment focussed on PUSH’s key work streams of housing and planning, sustainability, economic development and transport.

Key housing renewal projects in South Hampshire received a significant boost with some £3.115m to fund land and property purchases in relation to the re-developments of the Rowner estate (£2m) in Gosport and the Somerstown estate (£1.115m) in Portsmouth. A further £80,000 was allocated to conduct a full feasibility study and business case for improvements to Hinkler Parade, Thornhill, in Southampton.

Almost £1 million (£939,000) was apportioned to help progress PUSH’s main economic development opportunity area, the Strategic Employment Zone, adjacent to Southamption Airport at Eastleigh. Focussed on opening up better access to the site and enabling the proposals to move forward, the funding acts as a major step towards delivering this ambitious project which aims to redevelop a major brownfield site and bring investment and jobs to South Hampshire.

Work in support of improvements to transport infrastructure received a £1.7m boost with some £800,000 invested in detailed technical studies into access to the strategic development areas, a further £300,000 for a feasibility study into a new slip road from the M275 to the proposed Tipner redevelopment site and £100,000 allocated to the M27 Junction 5 Improvement Scheme. The remaining £500,000 funded the preparation work on a business case for the proposed Bus Rapid Transit Scheme, which helped to secure a £20M Government grant for phase 1 of the project, based on the former Fareham to Gosport railway line.

Projects to improve sustainability were boosted by £150,000 with £100,000 used to commission a detailed investigation into providing separate storm drainage at Spice Island in Portsmouth and £50,000 used to extend a household heating scheme in Southampton that will provide environmental and carbon footprint benefits.