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Ebbsfleet Garden City has secured electricity for the next 15 years in a £30m deal.
The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC), set up by the government to build a garden city in the area, has invested £30m to supply electricity to the 15,000 homes that are supposed to be provided.
The agreement was reached with UK Power Networks and will allow developers to pay for the proportion of the electricity they need, with the money being claimed back by EDC.
Development on the Kent site, which received planning permission 15 years ago, has been repeatedly delayed. A total of 660 homes have now been completed for the city, and officials have claimed this deal as a major step forward.
Paul Spooner, interim chief executive of EDC, said: “This is the first time a development corporation has been able to successfully forward fund electricity, which is crucial because our private developer partners know the infrastructure will be there and ready as they continue to build at pace.
“Without this intervention, developers faced significant costs to get the fundamental connection infrastructure, but now they will pay for what they need and their investment in the supply goes straight back into the public purse.”
Housing minister Alok Sharma added: “By investing in vital infrastructure, we can unlock the delivery of thousands of new homes, boost productivity in local areas and support new communities to grow and thrive.
“This infrastructure deal demonstrates our continued commitment to the Ebbsfleet project as a leading example of innovative and ambitious solutions to help fix our broken housing market and increase housing supply.”