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Fri September 20 2024

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Government commits £2.3bn to flood defences

2 Dec 14 The government has today published its updated National Infrastructure Plan which includes a commitment to invest £2.3bn in more than 1,400 flood defence projects.

The six-year flood defence programme includes 拢57m for the Oxford flood alleviation scheme, 拢80m for the Humber estuary and more than 拢17m for the Tonbridge and Yalding area in Kent.

The government has also committed to spend 拢15.5m in Somerset on flood defences over the next six years, including 拢4.2m on the Somerset Levels and Moors.

The National Infrastructure Plan, launched at the Institution of Civil Engineers today, also sets out progress made on previously announced housing and regeneration schemes, including the first 拢100m investment to provide infrastructure and land remediation at the planned Ebbsfleet garden city.

There is also a commitment to a heads of terms agreement for a loan of 拢55m to support the extension of the London Overground to Barking Riverside, to prepare the way for the delivery of 11,000 homes.

The government is also extending the capital settlement for affordable housing by 拢957m in 2018/19 and 2019/20 in a bid to get 275,000 new affordable homes built over the course of the next Parliament.

The National Infrastructure Plan also includes

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Overall, the 140-page document sets out plans for 拢460bn-worth of public and private investment to the end of the decade and beyond.

With a general election coming up in May, the document also claims that average annual investment under the current coalition government has been 拢47bn per annum, compared to 拢41bn between 2005 and 2010 under Labour.

Commercial secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton said: 鈥淭he fifth National Infrastructure Plan shows that the government is delivering on infrastructure, with a long term strategy to make sure the UK tackles decades of underinvestment and gives us the infrastructure we need to compete in the 21st century.

鈥淎s part of our long-term economic plan, we鈥檝e set out government priorities with clear delivery milestones and reformed planning rules to drive forward the most important projects.鈥

Laing O鈥橰ourke chief executive Anna Stewart said: 鈥淟ong-term visibility of the government鈥檚 approach to infrastructure is a crucial factor in our own ability to plan for the future. The National Infrastructure Plan, and the detailed project pipeline, gives us the confidence to invest and ensure we have the highly skilled workforce to deliver the roads, rail and power networks that this country needs.鈥

The National Infrastructure Plan 2014 can be downloaded at:

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