NEARLY £1million of funding for infrastructure on a planned Basingstoke development was announced by the Government yesterday.

The Department for Communities and Local Government awarded £850,000 to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and Enterprise M3, to pay for technical studies to be carried out on the proposed Manydown development.

The studies will focus on ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place to ensure affordable homes, new transport improvements, schools, new jobs, and community facilities are provided on the development over the next two Local Plan periods.

The Government funding was part of the budget announced yesterday by Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.

Leader of the borough council, Councillor Clive Sanders, said: “We have made a long-term commitment to the creation of attractive new communities at Manydown where people will want to live.

“We need to make sure we grasp all the opportunities of the land being in public ownership to make sure we have the right mix of housing and facilities to meet the needs of future generations of residents.

“We want to ensure the new homes are well planned, designed and constructed with the right infrastructure in place and respect and contribute to existing adjoining communities.”

He added: “This is a far reaching and complex project and there is no way that we could fund all of the infrastructure needed alone.

“This initial funding from the Government will support the huge amount of work on master planning and on financing and infrastructure studies that are now underway.”

Geoff French, chair of the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Today’s announcement of Government funding for a scoping and infrastructure study for Basingstoke clearly indicates the importance of this part of the Enterprise M3 area.

“The study announced today will play an invaluable role in scoping out the infrastructure that is needed to support the future provision of new homes, schools, jobs and community amenities on the western side of Basingstoke.”