A TOTAL of £410,000 has been awarded to Worcestershire to pave the way for new development plans across the county.
The investment was announced by Central Government this week as part of the One Public Estate Programme, first launched in 2013.
The programme ensures the better use of public sector land and property, improving services and freeing up space for new homes.
The latest round will see money and support being given to more than 100 local public sector partnerships across England to bring forward proposals for a range of new projects on public sector sites.
The investment for Worcestershire includes delivering new housing and regeneration around Redditch Rail Station, as part of the Rail Quarter development as revealed in this week’s Redditch Standard.
The money will support major transformation across two district centres in Redditch delivering new housing, service alignment, along with regeneration around the station bringing together Network Rail and Local Authority land, as part of the their Rail Quarter development.
In Worcester, the funding will bring together Local Authority partners and the Environment Agency to release land assets on Riverside for housing, replacement car parking and commercial development whilst ensuring flood mitigation actions are introduced across the city. The redevelopment work will form part of the city’s new masterplan.
Councillor Simon Geraghty, Leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: “It’s great news that Worcestershire is getting £410,000 through the OPE programme.
“The funding will allow us to unlock key sites in both Redditch and Worcester and get better use out of the land.”
The One Public Estate programme is a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Local Government Association. It now covers 95 per cent of all local authority areas in England.
