Member Article

Disused dock to become £300k technology hub for Hull

£300k will be going to a Hull project that will turn a disused dock into a technology hub through the Coastal Communities fund.

To support the announcement chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander visited a regeneration scheme in Hull, that will receive £300,000 from the fund to transform a disused dock into a multi-million pound technology hub and give the local economy a “significant boost.”

The Coastal Communities Fund was created to direct regeneration investment to seaside towns and villages to help rebalance their local economies, reduce unemployment and create new work opportunities for young people from the local area.

The fund has already supported more than 100 projects in the first two years delivering over 4,000 jobs and over 1,000 apprenticeships. This takes the expected total, including today’s projects, to over 6,500 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships.

Danny Alexander said:“The Coastal Communities Fund allows us to help communities across the UK to rebuild and regenerate their local economy, with projects this year supporting nearly 4000 jobs and 1000 training places.

“This is even more important given the extreme weather and I’m very pleased we’re giving £17 million of the fund to projects in areas hit by floods.

“Additionally, we have invested £5 million from the fund’s reserve into the government’s programme for flood recovery.

“The Coastal Communities Fund is supporting some of the most fragile communities. It is a great way to make sure that people living around our coastline can share in the benefits of the increased returns for the Crown Estate’s marine activities.”

£64 million more support, with special consideration for flood recovery projects in England

Ministers also launched the third round of the fund, now extended to span 3 years so it can attract even more ambitious projects and give communities greater flexibility to manage their bids. With £64 million available, funds are the highest so far.

In England, bids for flood management schemes and projects to repair the recent flood damage will also be included as part of the next round of project winners.

This will help communities affected by recent extreme weather get back on their feet and ensure that their local economy can grow in the coming years.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “We want to help our seaside towns affected by the recent flooding get back on their feet as soon as possible.

“Nearly three-quarters of these regeneration projects funded today are in flood affected areas and our support will help these communities show they are ‘back in business’.

“The next round of the Coastal Communities Fund is now open and we will be prioritising bids on coastal flood protection and repair. This government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our seaside towns and part of that is taking decisive action to help communities and businesses affected by the floods.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .