THE Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East has welcomed a Government multi-million pound funding pledge to boost stalled building projects.
A total of more than £22m to £5.69m for the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership and £16.71m for the North Eastern LEP - is up for grabs in the North East, with the aim being to kick-start projects which have been delayed due to the economy.
Ministers say projects have stalled due to problems with road access, contaminated land and flood risks. They say LEPs will now be able to apply for money to overcome those sorts of hurdles.
But Labour said the move was an admission that scrapping regional development authorities such as One North East was a mistake.
Stephen Larkin, Director of ICE North East, said: "The region's economy is driven by good infrastructure, so this money will be a very welcome boost.
"The successful use of the funding depends upon careful selection of the projects upon which it will be spent because, clearly, the options available will have varying degrees of economic potential, so the choices made now are crucial.
"The LEPs have the power to use this money to make a real difference and ICE would be very interested in working alongside them to help identify where this funding is most needed."
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