01 Feb Council wins £9.8m for Basildon town centre regeneration
The council bid for the money from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Marginal Viability Fund designed to unlock new homes in areas with high demand.
Basildon Council will use the funding to accelerate the delivery of projects outlined within the town centre masterplan focused around East Square and adjoining areas and in addition to the cinema-led regeneration project.
The money, which must be spent by 2021, will support improvements to infrastructure such as expanding car park capacity to provide 860 new spaces, facilitating the delivery and viability of housing in the town and improving the routes between East Square and the Great Oaks multi-storey car park.
Councillor Gavin Callaghan, Chairman of Basildon’s Policy and Resources Committee, said: “This is a great boost for the council’s plans to transform Basildon town centre. Coupled with the cinema-led development the projects this money will facilitate will provide a real focal point for a town centre that will have lots to offer day and night throughout the week and significantly increase footfall in the centre.
“The centre needed some good news after the announcement by Marks and Spencer. I hope this will help convince Marks and Spencer bosses the centre is on the up, to rethink their plans and to back Basildon.”
