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New site to be added to National Coalfields Programme
08/11/04
£32 million funding for two sites also announced.
National regeneration agency English Partnerships has announced that the
former Cambois coalfield site, between Blyth and Ashington, Northumberland,
is to be added its National Coalfields Programme.
The announcement was made on first day of the Coalfield Communities Campaign’s
annual conference at County Hall, in Matlock, Derbyshire, by English Partnerships’ Chief
Executive David Higgins.
Mr Higgins also announced funding totalling £32 million for two
other former coalfields: £19 million for Bickershaw South near Wigan,
and £13 million for Silverdale, near Newcastle under Lyme.
He said: "We are delighted funding is now in place for these sites
and the next stage of work can get underway.
"At Bickershaw South, we are working with the Northwest Development
Agency (NWDA) and Wigan Borough Council on plans for new homes linked to
landscape developments on the adjoining Leeds/Liverpool canal and public
open space.
Additional site and funding.
"At Silverdale, we are working with a range of partners, including
the local housing market renewal Pathfinder, on plans that will bring homes
and business and industry to the site."
Cambois, which brings the total number of sites within the Programme to
101, is at the heart of a cluster of regeneration areas around the Blyth
estuary, including the site of the former coal-fired Blyth power station.
Its inclusion in the Programme will support the SENNTRI (South East Northumberland
and North Tyneside Regeneration Initiative) regeneration partnership’s
master plan for the whole area.
Mr Higgins said: "We are pleased to announce that Cambois, which
was added to the National Coalfields Programme reserve list in 2002, will
now be fully part of the Programme.
"We shall be working closely with the full range of partners in the
area to help bring about a new lease of life for this former coalfield,
in the context of the wider regeneration activity."
Joan Dixon, Principal Policy Officer for the Coalfield Communities Campaign,
said: "We are delighted that this important site has been added to
the Programme. It is an integral part of the jigsaw of abandoned and contaminated
sites in that area, and we believe that this partnership approach will deliver
real benefits to the local community."
The coal–fired Blyth Power Station was built in the 1950s and in
its heyday was able to provide electricity for an entire city. But by the
1990s, with the increased reliance on gas-fired stations, it faced an uncertain
future. It closed in October 2000.
Note to Editors:
English Partnerships is the Government’s national regeneration agency.
Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England.
We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic sites and acting as
the Government’s specialist advisor on brownfield land. We also ensure
that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider Government objectives,
especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan.
English Partnerships helps to create communities where people can afford
to live and want to live, and supports the urban renaissance by improving
the quality of our towns and cities. Information on projects and programmes
can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk.
The £386.5 million National Coalfields Programme is assisting coalfield
communities throughout England to recover from the decline of the coal industry
by creating new employment, homes, leisure facilities and open space. It
works closely with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), the Coalfields
Communities Campaign, local authorities and many other groups to help rebuild
fragile economies. It now covers more than 100 sites across some 4,000 hectares.
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