Coast to Capital funding for city explained

The government is ploughing millions of pounds into job creation schemes in Brighton and Hove.

The Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership has signed a 'Growth Deal' with Whitehall to kick-start a six year investment programme in jobs, infrastructure and transport.

The funding is worth £30 million over six years to the city and will be delivered next year.

City College Brighton and Hove is the biggest beneficiary in the first spending round as £11 million will used to improve its buildings and facilities to attract more trainees, apprentices, disabled learners and to forge new links to businesses in the area.

Up to £7.7 million will be ploughed into building student accommodation and a research laboratory on derelict land at Preston Barracks in the east of the city.The joint venture between the University of Brighton, The Cathedral Group developers and Brighton and Hove City Council will find commercial spin- offs from academic research and encourage 'high growth businesses'.

The University of Brighton and Shoreham-based engineering company Ricardo will receive £7 million to develop a centre of excellence to deliver leading automotive and environmental engineering training and research.

The city's digital sector will get £3.4 million to compete on the global stage, roll-out superfast broadband and pioneer mobile 5G technology research. Small firms will train staff in e-commerce skills.

Circus Street, in the city centre, will receive £2.7 million towards a mixed-use regeneration project of new homes, office building, student accommodation, a library and academic buildings.

A spokesman for Coast to Capital said no figures are available for how many jobs the deal will create in Brighton and Hove.

He said: 'Each of the projects supported in the Coast to Capital Growth Deal have their own specific governance structure and the majority of projects are managed by the delivery partner. A lot of the information is still confidential as the Growth Deal outlined projects begin in 2015/16.'

Ron Crank, Coast to Capital chief executive, said: "Investment in the region's business infrastructure is vital for its successful future performance and there is much to do. We must ensure this first year programme is delivered and we must prepare the investments and projects for the remainder of the six year programme. It is clear, that as successful as our region already is, we need significant investment in our transport infrastructure, in business support and in skills, if we and the UK as a whole, is going to compete internationally.'