Communities in the South East awarded £70m boost to build for the future

Communities in the South East will benefit from £70 million in funding to regenerate local economies and make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced today (Saturday 23 May).

The South East has been allocated a share of £225 million announced earlier this month, to create new and permanent cycle lanes and reallocate road space to give more room to pedestrians and cyclists. The remaining £25 million of emergency funding will be used to help people get their bikes repaired so they can get back to cycling.

On Friday, the Transport Secretary amended laws to reduce red tape and halve the time it takes for councils to get these schemes up and running, helping local authorities accommodate for the step-change in behaviour as more people turn to cycling and walking. 

This comes as additional funding is made available for bus and light rail services across England to help increase the number of services as quickly as possible. The funding will give operators the resources to ramp up light rail services, allowing people travelling to hospitals, supermarkets or their place of work to get to their destination while helping ensure there is enough space for them to observe social distancing guidelines.

Ten bids have also been announced today to receive a share of a £500k Restoring Your Railways ‘Ideas Fund’ to develop proposals to build or reopen railway lines and stations, including those closed following the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

Two schemes in the South East have been awarded up to £50k each from the fund to progress plans to improve local connectivity, bringing communities one step closer to better rail connections with the capacity to boost job opportunities and ease congestion.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:  

“From NHS staff to transport and shop workers, teachers, volunteers and all those staying at home, people across the country are all sharing the same public-spirited approach to tackling the spread of this virus and keeping others safe. 

“To make sure people can travel safely when they need to, we are increasing capacity on buses and light rail, as well as helping local authorities fast-track plans to support cyclists and pedestrians, further reducing pressure on our transport network.  

“These measures will help keep passengers safe now, but we must also prepare for what comes next. Strengthening vital road and railway connections, as well as encouraging cycling and walking, will be essential to our ambition to level up the country, secure a green legacy, and kickstart regional economies, as we build out of Covid-19 and look to the future.”  

Cycling Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:

“We’re living in a time where many people are cycling and walking more than they did before, and we must build on this opportunity to bring about longer-term change – where active travel is viewed as the default for shorter journeys, long after this crisis has finished.

“This funding for the South East will help councils provide more space for walking and cycling and make it easier for people to get out and about and reduce the pressure on public transport.”

As part of plans to build on the numbers of people who have taken to their bikes during the coronavirus pandemic, Government is investing £685k to make stations across the South East better for people who want to build cycling into part of a longer journey once restrictions are eased. This investment from the latest round of Cycle Rail funding will pay for 308 bike spaces at six railway stations across the region. This will encourage, when restrictions are lifted, people to incorporate cycling as part of a longer journey.

MPs and local authorities were invited to bid for a share of the Ideas Fund which will progress plans to extend the existing Island Line service on the Ilse of Wight, (Ryde-Shanklin) south of Shanklin to reach Ventnor and extending the existing Isle of Wight Steam Railway route to provide passenger services through Smallbrook from Ryde to Newport. These plans could help ease congestion and support the island’s tourist economy.

Proposals to reintroduce passenger services on the Waterside line - the partly mothballed 9-mile Fawley – Totton freight line – will also be progressed and could helping to boost economic growth between the New Forest and Southampton.

There are still plenty of opportunities for communities and MPs to come forward with proposals on how they could use funding to restore disused stations and lines to enhance their local rail networks through the Ideas Fund which is open for a second round of applications. A third round of funding will open in the autumn.

Today’s package follows the announcement of £300 million for areas in the South East, outside London, from the Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund which is being invested to help councils improve roads, repair bridges and fill millions of potholes in their communities.