Theresa May has welcomed the announcement of a major economic boost for Maidenhead and the whole of Berkshire following the publication of the Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Deal, an agreement signed by the Government and the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Growth Deal will see £96.9 million invested in Berkshire, with £17 million confirmed in the first year and a further £79.9 million allocated from 2016/17 onwards. The deal will help create up to 17,000 jobs, 10,000 homes and leverage a further £20 million in public and private investment.
Growth Deals provide funds to LEPs (partnerships between local authorities and businesses) for projects that benefit the local area and economy. Among the commitments contained in the Growth Deal are measures that will directly benefit the Maidenhead area including:
- £6.8 million will be provided for improvements to Maidenhead Station in anticipation of Crossrail.
- Network Rail will assess the feasibility of semi-fast Crossrail services on the Great Western Main Line between Reading and London as part of the Western Route Study, within the rail planning process.
- Western rail access to Heathrow – Construction of a new rail link from the Great Western Main Line east of Slough to London Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5) to enhance access to Heathrow airport from Thames Valley and the West.
- The Department for Transport will providing technical assistance to support discussions between Oxfordshire and Thames Valley Berkshire LEPs and local authorities on the potential impacts and way forward for a third Thames crossing.
- The Department for Transport and Highways Agency will work closely with Thames Valley Berkshire LEP and local authority partners to bring forward the M4 SMART motorway scheme early to be considered for delivery in the early years of the Roads Investment Strategy (2015 to 2020) subject to due diligence.
Commenting, Theresa said: “The Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Plan is a major boost for the local area and is part of the Government’s long-term plan to spread economic growth across the country. I strongly welcome measures to improve local transport infrastructure, and it is important to see progress on projects such as the improvement of Maidenhead Station, Crossrail, and a new Thames bridge.”
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “This historic deal means real change for people in Berkshire and the Thames Valley with big investments including new funding for transport infrastructure that will improve journeys and connectivity, while opening up areas for new housing, redevelopment and growth.”
