Major new funding for district’s growth

Archived press release

Date Published: 17/12/08

The funding will help prepare Aylesbury Vale to meet future housing demand

Aylesbury Vale is to receive more than £9 million of government funding to support the creation of new homes, jobs and other facilities in the Vale over the next two years.

The funding, awarded by the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Housing Growth Fund, will help to provide essential services and facilities that are required to enable the building of 26,890 new homes and to support the creation of 21,500 jobs in the Vale to 2026.

In total, £9,448,161 has been allocated to the Vale to 2011 from growth area funds, which builds upon the £4.8 million already received for 2008 to 2009.

The money will help remove obstacles to growth and prepare Aylesbury Vale to meet future housing demand. The Aylesbury Vale Advantage (AVA) board are due to meet in February to allocate the award and may fund employment sites to help bring forward the additional jobs for the area, expand electricity provision and support other essential infrastructure to unlock growth and deliver quality developments.

AVA, the organisation charged with overseeing growth in the Vale, is working with Aylesbury Vale District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council to ensure that the provision of public facilities matches that of new development.

Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Chairman of Aylesbury Vale Advantage, said: “We welcome this extra funding from the government, which will help us to deliver our plans for sustainable growth in Aylesbury Vale. We will continue pressing the case for more funding from government departments and agencies in recognition of the challenges we face in the district. The government needs to keep up the support if we are to meet housing and employment targets and realise local ambitions for the area.”

The Growth Point money provides “unringfenced” funding, meaning local areas are free to allocate the resources as they see fit, though the capital must be used for capital expenditure. There is no requirement to spend the funding within the financial year in which it is paid.

The announcements, made by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett, will see a £605 million allocation to 163 local authorities with long-term plans to increase house building to meet the needs of their communities.

The government believes that, despite the current conditions of the housing market, the long-term need to build more homes remains. The Growth Point funding is designed to help meet the needs of a continually growing population, that fact that people are living longer and the rise in single households.