Bus Tokens
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the allocation of funds for the free bus token scheme. [141347]
Mr. Hill
[holding answer 11 December 2000]: As I announced in the House on 15 November 2000, Official Report, column 1029, we have allocated an annual injection of £54 million to cover the additional cost of the guaranteed half-fare concessionary travel scheme under the Transport Act 2000. I confirm that that amount was included within the lower tier of the Environmental Protection & Cultural Services block in the Standard Spending Assessment, and has been taken into account in the calculation of Revenue Support Grant to individual local authorities in the settlement announced on 27 November 2000, Official Report, columns 648-62.
Capital Project Loans
Mr. Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to make available interest-free money for loan by local authorities and regeneration agencies for major capital projects. [142295]
Ms Beverley Hughes
[holding answer 13 December 2000]: The Department currently has no plans to make such loans.
South West of England Regional
Development Agency
Sir Peter Emery:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the regeneration targets to be met by the South West Regional Development Agency. [142693]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The information the right hon. Gentleman requested is contained in section 5 of the South West of England Regional Development Agency Business Plan 2000-01. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House. The Business Plan sets out the range of Agency's key targets, many of which are cross-cutting and involve regeneration objectives.
Sir Peter Emery:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the projects (a) being undertaken and (b) completed by the South West of England Regional Development Agency. [142688]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The South West of England Regional Development Agency has undertaken and completed many projects. Their Annual Review 1999-2000
19 Dec 2000 : Column: 112W
gives details of those projects undertaken and completed up to March 2000. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House. I am also listing the main projects that have been given Board approval since March 2000 to date.
Principal Approvals (over 25k) since February Board Meeting
Eden Project, St Austell, Restormel
Application for additional funding of £1 million to cover additional works.
Total project cost: £79,626,000
Bradford On Avon Gasworks, West Wiltshire
Reclamation of a contaminated former town gasworks site, owned by the LA, for future hard end development.
Total project cost: £141,915
Treleigh Industrial Estate Extension, Redruth, Kerrier
Acquisition and servicing of 5.26 hectares of industrial development land adjacent to existing estate.
Total project cost: £1,005,000
Avon Valley Greenway, Bristol
Reclamation of an overgrown and derelict riverside site, in the centre of Bristol, to create a 2 km cycleway/footpath.
Total project cost: £504,844
Cornish Way: Section 2--Newlyn to Mousehole, Penzance, Penwith
Reclamation of a redundant Quay and slipway, formerly used for loading granite from Penlee Quarry, to create a cycleway/ footpath.
Total project cost: £69,000
Polmarth Park, St Austell, Restormel
Reclamation of a derelict former tin-streaming site, situated between two housing estates, to create recreational areas and a cycleway/footpath.
Total project cost: £246,625
Tavistock Cycleway, Tavistock, West Devon
Reclamation of a former railway line, along the edge of a steep sided valley, to create a cycleway/footpath.
Total project cost: £126,813
Bristol Harbourside--Additional Public Realm Works, Bristol
Excavation and disposal of existing surfacing and provision of new paving, lighting, street furniture and planting on three areas at Harbourside.
Total project cost: £675,361
St Agnes Park Lodge, Bristol
Refurbishment and extension of a former park keepers house to provide a community building offering training and employment facilities.
Total project cost: £160,092
Contact Centre, Southmead, Bristol
Refurbishment and extension of a derelict building to provide an additional training facility and seven small community business units.
Total project cost: £224,424
19 Dec 2000 : Column: 113W
Refurbishment of a derelict warehouse to provide seven young persons flats and three workshops.
Total project cost: £131,299
Tolvaddon Business Park, Camborne, Kerrier
Acquisition and servicing of 6.07 hectares of industrial development land and construction of 2,787 sq m of quality office units of 70 to 465 sq m in size.
Total project cost: £2,998,818
Penrose Farm, Indian Queens, St Columb, Restormel
Acquisition of 4.84 hectares of industrial development land, demolition of derelict farm buildings, site servicing and infrastructure.
Total project cost: £1,439,696
Cornish Way: Section 4 Bude Phase 2, North Cornwall
Reclamation of a section of disused railway, between Bude and Helebridge, to create a cycleway/footpath.
Total project cost: £115,500
Yeo Bridge, Barnstaple, North Devon
Reclamation of a section of disused railway to create a cycleway/footpath including the construction of a new swing bridge over the river Yeo.
Total project cost: £718,665
Lower Pengegon, Camborne, Kerrier
Additional phase of reclamation works, to a former mining site, including knotweed eradication, building consolidation and landscaping.
Total project cost: £125,713
Marine Projects, Stonehouse, Plymouth
Reclamation of an area of mudflats to create hard standing and construction of a 3,716 sq m factory for the manufacture of very large powerboats.
Total project cost: £2,321,325
Saltash Parkway Site F, Saltash, Caradon
Construction of a 1,490 sq m employment unit on a serviced site.
Total project cost: £812,309
Combined University for Cornwall, Penryn, Kerrier
Development of the first phase proposed at Tremough to include demolition works, construction of new access road, servicing of the whole site and construction of new digital media centre.
Total project cost: £5,200,000
Old Town Quarry, Weston Super Mare, North Somerset
Conversion of a derelict building to provide eight managed workshop units and two training and exhibition spaces.
Total project cost: £124,500
Devon Coast to Coast Cycleway--Derriton Viaduct, Nr Holsworthy, Torridge
Reclamation of a section of former Ilfracombe to Bude railway line to create a cycleway/footpath.
Total project cost: £520,700
19 Dec 2000 : Column: 114W
Cabot Community Sports Centre, Bristol
Construction of a multi-purpose sports complex within the boundaries of a Primary School in the inner city area of St Pauls.
Total project cost: £2,784,000
Safe and Warm Phase 2, Bristol
Housing improvement project on three Local Authority estates on the northern fringe of the city, covering heating, insulation and security measures.
Total project cost: £1,578,304
Theatre Royal Production and Education Centre, Plymouth
Development of a new centre to cater for the simultaneous production of in-house drama productions and large-scale music theatre.
Total project cost: £6,618,004
Plymouth Job to Job Wage Subsidy, Plymouth
Project to support Intermediate Labour Market initiatives for two years through the provision of a wage subsidy for the long-term unemployed.
Total project cost: £707,038
Youth Link, Penwith and Kerrier
Three-year project to provide advice and support for young people not participating or making progress through established programmes.
Total project cost: £825,198
Rural Counselling Programme, Devon Priority Areas
Provision of a comprehensive rural business support service in rural Devon prior to the introduction of the Small Business Service.
Total project cost: £124,969
Devon & West Somerset Key Fund
Provision of a block capital grant to provide accessible funding support to small-scale community projects.
Total project cost: £1,041,400
Bream Community Centre, Bream, Forest of Dean
Acquisition and refurbishment of former community building to provide enhanced facilities and improved access to additional facilities.
Total project cost: £277,325
Kimmeridge Marine Education Centre, Purbeck
Provision of an education resource for the community to learn about the marine environment and promote coast-related tourism.
Total project cost: £230,029
Ladock Parish Hall, Ladock, Carrick
Construction of a new hall to replace the existing dilapidated timber building used by various community groups.
Total project cost: £205,450
19 Dec 2000 : Column: 115W
Spanning the Century, Camel Trail, North Cornwall
Improvements to ten miles of the trail by widening at the iron bridge near Padstow and enhancements to the Guineaport and Padstow entrances.
Total project cost: £846,925
Business Information Service (Enterprise Edge), Cornwall
To provide up-to-date business information to Cornish SMEs for one year via a gateway website and 0800 helpline.
Total project cost: £268,991
Chacewater Village Hall, Chacewater, Carrick
Demolition of existing premises and construction of a new building to serve the local community.
Total project cost: £323,022
Cornwall Objective One Technical Assistance
Contribution towards the costs of establishing and operating the Objective One partnership office and implementation of the Team's work programme, including setting up and managing Task Forces and Priority Management Groups.
Total project cost: £1,797,358.