Transforming Cities Fund grant awards announced

Funding

The Leeds City Region has won the biggest share of the Government’s latest round of Transforming Cities Fund grant, which was announced in last week’s Budget.

The Government has awarded £317m to the Leeds City Region covering the council areas of Leeds, Bradford, York, Wakefield, Calderdale, Kirklees, Craven, Harrogate, and Selby.

Bradford receives £30m for active travel schemes and  Calderdale receives £39.9m for transport improvements in Halifax, including a new bus station. A 700-space secure cycle parking facility is planned for Leeds station and a new bus rapid transit scheme will connect East Leeds to the city centre. The front of York railway station will be reconfigured, with more capacity for pedestrians, cyclists and an improved bus and taxi interchange.

The other Transforming Cities Fund awards are: 

• £198m for the North East, including £95m for frequency and reliability improvements across the Tyne and Wear Metro 
• £166m for Sheffield City Region, including a new bus rapid transit link in Barnsley and a new tram stop on the tram-train line to Rotherham at Magna 
• £161m for Derby and Nottingham, including more than £25m for bus rapid transit in Derby and more than £10m for a cycle route between Nottingham, Derby and East Midlands Airport
• £79m for the new Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole unitary authority and Dorset Council, including for four new cycle routes and bus priority infrastructure
• £57m for Southampton, including new bus priority routes 
• £51m for Plymouth, including £36m for an iconic new Central Park cycling and walking bridge
• £40m for Preston City Region, including £25m for a new station at Cottam Parkway on the Preston-Blackpool line 
• £33m for Leicester, including £8m for the development of a sustainable transport corridor from St Margaret’s to Birstall 
• The Government said a further £117m could be shared by the Portsmouth City Region, Norwich and Stoke-on-Trent, subject to further business case approval.