A bid for government cash to support the delivery of 3,000 new homes at Murton Gap has reached the final stage in a competitive process.
The site was allocated for housing as part of the North Tyneside Local Plan, which was adopted in July 2017 and outlines how housing growth will be delivered in the borough over the next 15 years.
The bid was submitted by the North East Combined Authority (NECA) to the government’s housing infrastructure fund in October 2017, with the backing of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.
Now the government has confirmed that the bid has been successful in progressing to the final stage of the process where it will compete with 43 other schemes, put forward by combined authorities from across the country, for a share of the £4.1 billion development fund.
If agreed, the investment will pay for new road infrastructure which will open up the site for development.
North Tyneside Council will now be invited to prepare a business case to help the government reach its final decision on funding the project.
North Tyneside’s Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn CBE, said: “I am delighted that we have reached the final stage in our funding bid and I congratulate the team who prepared the initial bid.
“We know from the extensive consultation work we carried out for both the Local Plan and the Masterplan how important this kind of infrastructure is to local people.
“The money is by no means guaranteed and we know that competition will be tough, but it’s a very deserving scheme that will help to unlock housing and economic growth and bring massive potential benefits to the people of North Tyneside.
“We will continue working closely with the government to develop the business case and secure the funds we are seeking.”
The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme aimed at helping to unlock new homes in areas with the greatest housing demand and is awarded to local and combined authorities on a competitive basis.
The fund can contribute to funding key local infrastructure projects including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work, all essential ahead of building new homes.
It is the second set of good news for North Tyneside in as many months, after the council was awarded £8.9m from the same fund to support the development of 2,000 new homes at Killingworth Moor.
