A NEW £1.2million fund has been set up to help kick-start large infrastructure projects across the Tendring district.

Tendring Council’s new Rural and Urban Infrastructure Fund is aimed at seed-funding larger schemes in the district to unlock economic growth.

Tendring Council Leader Neil Stock hopes it could be used to attract Government cash for a bypass for Thorpe-le-Soken or a new road and railway crossing at Manningtree station.

The new investment this week and said he hopes the fund is based on the model of the previous Coastal Improvement and Enhancement Fund – which saw £3million allocated by the council in 2011 leveraged to gain £37million from the Government and others to fund major sea defence works in Holland-on-Sea.

Mr Stock said: “Examples of the kind of schemes I am thinking about could include a new road and rail crossing at Manningtree station, a bypass for Thorpe-le-Soken or even the proper upgrading of the A120 from Hare Green to Harwich.

“Obviously, I want to make this clear, the £1.2million in this fund will not of itself be anywhere near enough to pay for any of those projects outright.

“But just as we did with the coastal improvement works, it could provide the seed-funding necessary, not only to demonstrate our serious commitment, but also to provide the technical framework necessary for such projects to progress and succeed and to attract the large-scale funding they will require.”

He added: “It is my hope this new Rural and Urban Infrastructure Fund can be used to kick-start much bigger projects to bring about vital improvement to key infrastructure within the district.”

The £1.2million funding comes from Tendring Council’s New Homes Bonus for 2019/20, a grant paid by the Government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth.

The council also approved a new £500,000 Tendring Community Fund to support community groups.

Labour’s Ivan Henderson, who has been a long-term campaigner for improvements to the A120, said he welcomed the move.

He has previously criticised the council’s cabinet for scrapping the £80,000 Big Society Fund, which “helped some of the most deprived people within the district”.