Gainsborough gets bumper £2.1m grant to start 2,500-home project

Council chiefs and the town's MP have reacted with joy after Gainsborough was awarded a bumper £2.1 million to trigger the building of hundreds of new homes in Gainsborough.
Coun Jeff Summers, leader of West Lindsey District Council, who was thrilled to hear about the award of £2.1 million for Gainsborough.Coun Jeff Summers, leader of West Lindsey District Council, who was thrilled to hear about the award of £2.1 million for Gainsborough.
Coun Jeff Summers, leader of West Lindsey District Council, who was thrilled to hear about the award of £2.1 million for Gainsborough.

The money will be ploughed into the Gainsborough Southern Urban Extension, which is criticial to the town’s growth programme.

One of the largest housing sites in the town, it received outline planning permission for 2,500 homes seven years ago, but had been put on hold because of the hefty cost of infrastructure projects, such as off-site roads and paths.

Now the government has given West Lindsey District Council a total of £2,123.184 to meet that cost as part of £866 million worth of investment in housing projects nationally.

“What a fantastic result!” beamed Coun Jeff Summers, leader of the district council. “This successful bid is the key which opens the door to our southern neighbourhood.

“We should soon see a much-awaited start to a new programme of positive growth for Gainsborough, which will help sustain our town-centre regeneration plans. The year 2018 is going to be so significant in the history of West Lindsey. We have such a lot going on.”

Across the country, up to 200,000 homes will be built thanks to the new investment. It will support work on housing developments, such as the one in Gainsborough, that have been struggling to get off the ground. And it is also part of the government’s plan to fix a broken housing-market that has left many people struggling to afford a place of their own.

MP Sir Edward Leigh said: “It’s great news that Gainsborough has been allocated this money to help ensure we build more quickly the homes people need. It could lead to up to 245 homes being delivered by 2022. We are determined to build the right homes in the right places, and help the next generation get the keys to a home of their own.”

The award was also welcomed by Eve Fawcett-Moralee, executive director of commercial and economic growth at the district council. She said: “We are delighted to be able to unlock this neighbourhood housing scheme.

“It is in addition to the £4 million already secured though the Single Growth Fund, administered through the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, to regenerate Gainsborough. Without this financial support, projects such as this would struggle to go ahead or take years for work to begin.”

Coun Richard Wright, chairman of the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee, said: “This is brilliant news and a strong vote of confidence in our Local Plan. It recognises our excellent housing and economic development strategies and our ability to deliver for the broader benefit of local communities.”