- Government has announced more than 300 ‘shovel-ready’ projects in England to share £900 million investment to build homes and infrastructure, and create jobs.
- Bury St Edmunds to benefit with £2,750,000 investment, as part of the Conservative Government’s plans to level up the whole country.
I welcome the announcement that Bury St Edmunds will benefit from £2,750,000 of investment, under the Government’s Getting Building Fund.
The £900 million fund, which was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in June as part of the Conservative Government’s New Deal for Britain – an ambitious economic strategy to rebuild Britain after coronavirus, by putting skills and infrastructure investment at the heart of our economic recovery.
More than 300 projects, which have been determined as ‘shovel-ready, have been allocated a share of the fund. In total, the investment is expected to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and reduce around 65 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions across England.
In Bury St Edmunds, the fund will be used as part of the Bury St Edmunds Cornhill scheme which involves developing 12 flats and two commercial units as part of a programme to enhance and revitalise an area of the town centre.
The project also involves improving and widening the Market Thoroughfare to help boost footfall between the historic town and the Arc shopping centre, creating more space and improving a crucial link between the town centre and the Arc.
It builds on the commitments Jo made during the 2019 General Election campaign to ensure that Bury St Edmunds has access to Government funding to accelerate projects such as this, which improve our town centre and provide a boost to local businesses and the local economy.
I am delighted Bury St Edmunds will directly benefit from this Government money – helping to build the infrastructure and homes our community needs while supporting jobs over the months and years ahead.
The Cornhill improvements will develop and enhance the link between the historic town centre and the Arc shopping centre, ensuring that residents and visitors to the town can shop at some of our amazing local businesses or grab a bite to eat with ease. The addition of 12 flats also provide much needed housing in the town centre and I welcome the move to make use of an empty building whilst maintaining its historic features.
