Kettering railway station to benefit from £405k of government cash

The government has announced plans, as part of its One Public Estate Programme, to make improvements to the station and to enable surrounding land to be used to build much-needed housing.

The £405,0000 is part of a wider pot of £15m of investment that has been handed to more than 100 sites across the country.

Those plans will see more than 100,000 of new homes built across the country.

The One Public Estate programme was launched in 2013 to make better use of public sector sites, free up space for new homes and create jobs.

It encourages the emergency services, local councils and government departments to work more closely together by sharing sites and creating public sector ‘hubs’ - where services are delivered in one place.

The latest round of the programme will see money and support given to more than 100 local public sector partnerships across England to bring forward proposals for a range of new projects on public sector sites.

The Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden, said: “Getting the best use out of publicly owned land can help to regenerate our towns and cities and give people improved access to the services they need.

“This programme shows that when Government works smarter, with public authorities coming together, taxpayers get better value for money, new jobs are created and space is freed up for vitally needed new homes.

“I know what a well used resource Kettering Railway Station is and I look forward to seeing the improvements this project can deliver, as well as the new housing, which is much needed in the area.”

The One Public Estate programme is a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Local Government Association. It now covers 95 per cent of all local authority areas in England.

Funding for the latest round of the programme will help with the creation of feasibility studies and masterplans for the potential development sites.

It is hoped the work will bring forward savings of £37 million in public sector running costs and allow the redevelopment of a large number of brownfield sites.

The Minister of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse, said: “This government is committed to helping more people get on the housing ladder and restoring the dream of home ownership for a new generation. The One Public Estates Programme will not only help more people find a home of their own, but also help create jobs and save taxpayers’ money.

“The latest projects to share £15m of funding will make a real difference to local communities and provide better services to residents.”

Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “I’m pleased to see One Public Estate continue to grow from strength to strength. This latest round will see the programme now deliver more than 650 projects in total, all of which support councils to work with the wider public sector to deliver the best public services and place for their local communities.

“The delivery of new homes remains a national priority and with 95 per cent of councils now part of the programme, it’s clear to see that local government remains committed to building the right homes for the places they serve.”

It is hoped that there will be more detail on what the money will be spent on shortly.