The future of vital regeneration work in Cornwall has been thrown into doubt, according to a report in Western Morning News.
Projects worth millions of pounds in the south west face delay or being axed altogether, as the Government looks to raid the region’s coffers in an effort to bail out the ailing housing market. Among the projects in Cornwall seeking SWRDA funding are the Combined Universities, Newquay Airport and the Wave Hub.
The report says that The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) could have to come up with as much as £20 million towards the cost of the Government’s new national £300 million HomeBuy Direct scheme to support first-time home buyers.
And there are also fears that SWRDA will not be able to meet its commitment to match-funding the £445 million Convergence Programme.
In a letter to the business community, handed to the newspaper, SWRDA chief executive Jane Henderson states: “As you may have heard, ministers have decided that the new £300 million HomeBuy Direct scheme to support first-time home buyers should be funded through a partial re-allocation of existing RDA budgets.
“On current projections this re-allocation will largely affect RDA expenditure in 2010/11, but it will be hard to avoid some immediate impacts on the investment plans of local partners as reductions in future funding mean we will be able to give fewer commitments now.”
Henderson stressed that no decision had been taken yet regarding specific investments, but all options will be looked at.
If you found this story interesting please press the button below to bookmark using one of the many social bookmarking sites. If you would like to keep up to date with news as it happens, why not subscribe to our RSS feed at the top of the right hand column?
The ripples from the current economic situation continue to spread far and wide 🙁 http://discoverunearthed.wordpress.com for some light relief in the form of food!
At least if house prices continue to fall, local Cornish people won’t be so readily priced out of buying homes in their own area. Also, I have to say that in my area of work – food – there are an astonishing number of small companies from the South West doing innovative and inspired things and that the energy of small businesses and entrepreneurial individuals can do a lot to regenerate areas like this!
Comments are closed.