Osborne hands Growing Places fund a boost including 拢70m reserved for London

The government is to hand a further 拢270m to a regeneration fund intended to empower local communities and businesses to lead development in their own areas.

In his Budget speech today, chancellor George Osborne said the funding - from existing departmental budgets - would boost the Growing Places Fund, with 拢70m of the overall 拢270m reserved for the Greater London Authority in recognition of the capital鈥檚 economic size and 鈥渦nique devolution arrangements鈥.

The Growing Places fund was announced in November with an original 拢500m worth of funding to help get stalled building projects off the ground with a particular focus on building infrastructure to enable the creation of new homes and commercial space.

The 38 existing local enterprise partnerships - which are formed by local authorities and businesses - have able to apply for funding, and then take decisions about which projects to prioritise.