Infrastructure vital to successful development in southern England can be delivered in the right place at the right time, if Government backs plans from the South East and South West regions.

Proposals for two Regional Infrastructure Funds (RIFs) in the South East and South West would give each region the power to pay for services, which could include facilities such as hospitals, schools, transport and utilities before homes are built. They would reclaim the cost as development proceeds.

The RIF idea is the result of joint working between the regional assemblies and development agencies in the neighbouring regions of South East and South West England. Both regions believe a RIF will help ensure quality of life is maintained as planned housing growth takes place, with essential services and facilities in place.

South East England Regional Assembly Chairman Cllr Keith Mitchell said:

"Too often in the past infrastructure has lagged behind new building. The RIF would allow us to ensure infrastructure can be delivered on time, in the right place, to build communities not just homes. The South East region is very clear what's needed as we have prioritised and costed the infrastructure needed for the next 20 years. Our RIF would start with public money from regional budgets, but we aim to attract significant private finance as well."

Cllr Jill Shortland, South West Regional Assembly Chairman, endorsed his comments and added:

"This is a good example of where with a relatively modest input of Government funds we can deliver critical infrastructure in a way which is self-financing."

Ian Piper, director of sustainable communities at the South West RDA, said:

"The timely provision of infrastructure is seen as one of the biggest barriers to delivering the new jobs and homes that the region must accommodate over the next 20 years, the RIF provides a solution and the joint working between agencies across two regions that lies behind the proposal demonstrates our commitment to tackle the problem."

SEEDA Chairman, Jim Brathwaite, CBE, said:

"The vision for the South East is a world class region achieving global competitiveness, sustainable prosperity and smart growth, raising levels of enterprise, productivity and economic activity, which is not achievable without putting in place infrastructure fit for the 21st century. This will only be achieved by new mechanisms for using public pump-priming to leverage private value. The Regional Economic Strategy for the South East sets out the transformational action of establishing a Regional Infrastructure Fund to deliver quality infrastructure faster and more effectively to underpin sustainable growth."

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The RIF prospectus is available on the South East Plan website
2. The prospectus has been submitted to the Treasury, Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport, and makes specific propositions in relation to policy areas of each department.
3. The prospectus provides further details on the proposal that was put forward in the respective regional submissions to Government's Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR07) in October 2006.
4. The South East England Regional Assembly is a partnership of councils and communitities in the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
5. SEEDA is the Government funded agency set up in 1999 responsible for the economic and social development of the South East of England - the driving force of the UK's economy.
6. The South West Regional Assembly is a partnership of councillors from all local authorities in the region and representatives of various sectors with a role in the region's economic, social and environmental well-being. It covers the area from Gloucestershire, Dorset and Wiltshire to the Isles of Scilly, and represents a population of almost five million.
7. SWRDA is the Government funded agency set up in 1999 responsible for the economic and social development of the South West of England.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007