Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has strongly welcomed the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership's (LEP) bid to central Government for funding to complete the Stubbington Bypass.
Last year, funding was secured to carry out the preliminary work on the project and take it through the planning permission process. The Solent LEP is now submitting its Regional Growth Fund (round 3) bid to Government. It has named the Stubbington Bypass as a top priority project on the grounds that the new peninsular access route is utterly essential for addressing Gosport's congestion problems.
For the project to stand the best possible chance of receiving Government funding, the Local Authority needs to put forward a local contribution of 25-30%. Over the past year, local stakeholders including Cllr Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, have been working together to make this funding available.
A deal has now been secured whereby Hampshire County Council plan to contribute £8.5m to the project, which will be paid back through business rates from the Daedalus Enterprise Zone.
Commenting on the news, Caroline said:
"The welcome investment in the Stubbington Bypass is a clear demonstration of faith in the strong economic potential of the Gosport Constituency. A new peninsular access route is utterly essential for addressing the area's crippling congestion problems and would vastly improve both the lives of local residents and the prospects for local businesses. I am delighted that it has been named the top priority project by the Solent LEP. This sends a clear message to the Government about how seriously both the Council and other local stakeholders are about investing in the future prosperity of Gosport & Stubbington. I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of Cllr Sean Woodward, whose hard work and commitment to the bypass project has been critical to moving the project forward."
Caroline has long campaigned for the Stubbington Bypass. Last year, she raised our traffic problems with the Chancellor, helping to secure the funding necessary to carry out the preliminary work for the Stubbington Bypass.
Over the past few months, she has held frequent meetings with the Solent LEP to support them in making their bid for infrastructure funding to central Government. Last month she met with Cllr Humby, Hampshire's new transport boss, calling on him to make the necessary local funding available. She also galvanised the support of other Hampshire MPs, who wrote to Cllr Humby in favour of the project.
