Big News for Littleport as Market Town Benefits from Combined Authority £1m

Big News for Littleport as Market Town Benefits from Combined Authority £1m

The market town of Littleport was £1million better off following today’s Combined Authority Board vote – and Whittlesey in Fenland picked up almost half a million in the same meeting.

Proposed by Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Cllr Anna Smith, who was chairing the Board, members unanimously voted through the items.

They agreed £925k funding for Littleport’s E-Space (North) business hub. Submitted by East Cambridgeshire District Council, which owns and manages the centre, the proposal aims to address shortage of suitable workspace in Littleport to facilitate new direct and associated jobs.

The second Littleport project, the Capital Investment Fund, was awarded £75k to create a small ‘grant pot’ to be used by the district council to smarten buildings, improve energy efficiency and enhance frontages to spruce up Littleport’s town centre area.

Members also voted the market town of Whittlesey £260k for a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) to evidence the need for future public sector funding of the proposed Whittlesey Relief Road. Initial reports have been commissioned and completed and funding will enable the project to progress to next stage in the process. The need for congestion relief was identified as a priority within the town’s Masterplan’s document that states:

“A new relief road from Coates to the Morrisons / Cardea Roundabout so that Heavy Goods Vehicles can access industrial sites from the east rather than adding to the congestion of residential routes. As well as adding to the congestion, HGVs degrade the quality of the road and street surfaces and contribute to the problem of air pollution.”

People in Whittlesey also benefit from the award of additional £195k voted for the Whittlesey Town Projects. The proposal, from Fenland District Council, is split into four mini-projects – improvements to community basketball / tennis / netball facilities; improvements to Whittlesey marketplace; a heritage Library display; and improvements to the Manor Leisure Centre solar power system.

The above proposals, all received under the Combined Authority’s Market Towns Programme, are in the 9^th round of bids from district councils for projects to drive growth and regeneration under the market town Masterplans.

The Board also approved the request from Fenland District Council to extend the completion date for the Fenland Market Town Parking Management project until 31^st December 2025, enabling time for the traffic regulation order review, and for the works to be prepared and undertaken during favourable weather conditions.