MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, has welcomed specific measures set out in this week’s Budget that will improve London’s transport and infrastructure.
Alongside the Budget announcement, the Chancellor has unveiled plans for improving London’s roads by launching the Highways England Delivery Plan. The Delivery Plan sets out further detail on the roads investment programme from 2015-2021, setting out milestones for projects across London. It confirms that the significant improvements to the M25 at junction 30 for the ports of Tilbury and London Gateway will be open for traffic by June 2017. It also sets out next steps on the new schemes announced in December 2014, including upgrading the M25 to a five lane smart motorway between the M40 and Chertsey, and improving access from the M25 to the A12 and A3, where construction will have started by 2020.
The Budget also set out plans for Government to provide an additional £25 million towards purchase grants for ultra-low emission taxis in London, to help meet London’s commitment to make every new black cab zero emission capable from 2018.
Investing in regeneration also formed part of the Chancellor’s Budget announcement. The Government will provide £97 million funding and ring-fence the 50% share of local business rate growth to support the borough and GLA plans for Brent Cross regeneration and the Barking Riverside Overground extension; and it will fund a London Land Commission with £1 million, tasked with producing the most comprehensive database of public sector land in the country, and mapping of brownfield land in London.
There will be more funding for flood defences. As a result of decisions made in the Autumn Statement, an additional £7.9 million will be made available over the six years of the flood and coastal erosion programme, enabling 15 schemes to be delivered at least a year sooner than originally planned and a further six new schemes to be included.
Greg Hands MP for Chelsea and Fulham said “As well as the Budget headline news that Britain is growing faster than any other major advanced economy with record numbers of jobs and 1.9 million more people now in work, there are also some really important announcements on transport infrastructure.
“As Britain is now on the road to economic recovery, it is important we have the road and rail infrastructure to help people get around London more efficiently. Investing in infrastructure is essential to attract business and good jobs across the whole of London, and to help people travel to those new jobs.
“Although the infrastructure projects are outside Chelsea and Fulham, my residents will benefit as they travel around London. I also particularly welcome the move towards zero emissions taxis which will improve the air quality in my constituency and the whole of London.”