Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on major investments in the city
Brighton and Hove has been awarded some £31m over the coming years for key developments in our city. This includes funding for regeneration of Circus Street to deliver new homes, offices, student accommodation, a library and academic buildings, a research laboratory at Preston Barracks, and much-needed transport improvements at Valley Gardens in our city centre.
Meanwhile, our neighbours in the Greater Brighton city area will also receive essential funding, which will help our shared economy and meet the challenges we all face. This includes cash for flood defences at Newhaven and Shoreham, which will protect homes and businesses and allow new ones to be built, and a new access road for Newhaven Port, which is growing in importance as a crucial part of our regional economy.
The funding has come through our region’s Local Enterprise Partnership, of which we are a part. This partnership is where councils and business representatives in the area agree what major investments will best support the local economy. The Government has allocated £38m of new funding to the partnership for the coming year, which will help us create 14,000 jobs, 4,600 new homes and 190,000 square metres of employment space.
Importantly, we’ll also be able to bid for more funding to improve our wider transport network. This could mean more funding for our major works making up for previous council administrations’ historic underinvestment in our precious seafront – which many readers will know is in dire need of major refurbishment, both as an essential transport route and a major visitor attraction.
Our region is doing relatively well economically, and we were recently ranked the third best location in the UK for business investment. However, we can’t be complacent, and must plan for the future.
We need ongoing major investment like this in our transport infrastructure, in business support and skills, to continue growing as a prosperous city and region.
