The UK’s first large-scale logistics hub for electric vehicles and a new campus to support the North Sea’s booming offshore wind industry are amongst the projects to benefit from the £1.3 billion economic recovery package unveiled by the government today (4 August).
Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for housing and communities, revealed that more than 300 projects will receive a share of Boris Johnson’s £900 million Getting Building Fund.
The prime minister’s fund has a remit to support ‘shovel-ready’ housing and infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery across the country.
The successful projects include:
- An offshore wind operations and maintenance campus in Great Yarmouth that will be built on a council-owned site with access to the town’s port.
- A clean energy hub that will provide power for the Rockingham Automotive Logistics Hub in Northamptonshire – the UK’s first large scale facility for electric heavy goods vehicles.
- Construction of the first phase of the Northumberland Energy Park in Blyth and the installation of a pumping station at the Able Marine Energy Park on the south bank of the River Humber – both purpose-built port facilities designed primarily with the offshore wind sector in mind.
- Surrey district council of Mole Valley’s plan to provides off-street EV charging points in its 22 car parks.
The New Anglia local enterprise partnership, which supported the Great Yarmouth campus, has also won backing for a project to develop micro-generation and electricity storage at surface carparks, using a variety of technologies including solar carports, batteries, EV charging points and private wires to local buildings.
Announcing the funding, Jenrick said: “As we get Britain building, we are also laying the foundations for a green economic recovery by investing in vital infrastructure for local communities, creating jobs and building environmentally-friendly homes with a huge £1.3 billion investment announced today.”