Author: simon
IW Council Misses Out On Pan Funding Again (UPDATED)
Wednesday, 23rd December, 2009 at 5:24 pm, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Council, Newport, News
You’ll probably remember that the expansion of Pan was given the go ahead by the Isle of Wight council planning committee just over a week ago.
Worryingly it appears that there might be a problem brewing for the development.
We understand from Cllr Geoff Lumley that the IWC has twice bid for funding from a £1 billion government scheme called “Kickstart” and has twice failed to be successful – most recently last week, just after the passing of the Pan expansion.
This funding would be used for infrastructure costs like roads (to the tune of £11m) that the previous selected developer, Miller Homes, balked at when it came to the crunch last February.
£1 billion was available
The Government set up ‘kickstart funding’ of £1 billion back in the spring Budget to assist stalled housing development schemes like Pan during the economic recession.
In Round 1, £360m was allocated to successful bidders. The IW Council had bid for Pan, but failed this round.
The latest Round 2 has allocated £550m to further successful bidders.
What now?
A loss of potential funding in this economical climate must come as a blow to the scheme and the IWC.
UPDATE: The Isle of Wight Council provided us with a statement (kindly, as it was the xmas eve-eve):
Acting Director of Community Services Mark Howell said “While we are disappointed at the news in relation to the Kickstart funding, this will not affect the project in any way. “The prospective bidders are fully aware that Kickstart funding is not guaranteed and they will have made allowances to cover the cost of the infrastructure of the site”
We asked Cllr Lumley his views, “I’m not sure where this leaves the Council’s plans now. They were expressing bravado that they could manage without the funding, but that now needs to be lived up to.”
Looking further than the immediate unsuccessful bid, he continued, “Most importantly, questions need to be asked why the Council are failing these bidding rounds ?”
PFI
It emerged at the recent IWC scrutiny meeting that the £millions that the IWC is putting towards applying for PFI funding for the Island roads (they’ve put aside £7.6m recently) would not be reclaimable if the PFI funding bid was not successful.
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No new houses – yet the Archbishop of Canterbury
is after millions of £s to prop up a building 1400 years old – Priorities!
And when the likes of unelected members of the House of Lord are dictating our laws and rules, Pan will stay as it is. Lord Sugar, I ask you?
This present Government is a shambles and with
Lord Mandelson, the unelected Rasputin of our Government, in such a position of power; is it any wonder we are in the state we are in.
Cameron will create many of his chums, past and present to become members to The House of geriatrics. Nothing will change. The rich will get richer and the… You get the gist.
The country has gone to the dogs, we can’t even produce our own football players or football managers. The Arabs and the Chinese are buying us all on the cheap.
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Sorry Don, what has that got to do with Pan?!
(Report comment)
It has a lot to do with the redevelopment of not only Pan, but many other developments.
Westminster is again calling the tune.
Foreigners are taking us over.
Do you think Mandelson has even heard of Pan?
Well! He just may have done, after all he’s called Peter:-)
(Report comment)
Or with anything much.
(Report comment)