Borough of Poole council has today won £14.14m from the Department for Transport for its Twin Sails bridge project.

It is the last tranche of funding needed for the £37m forthcoming project, which has also received £9.96m from the South West Regional Development Agency’s Regional Infrastructure Fund.

The scheme aims to open up a large area of vacant land in Poole Harbour for housing and employment. The hope is to create around 5,000 jobs.

The South West RDA’s Regional Infrastructure Fund is a £50m pot that delivers infrastructure earlier than the market might otherwise allow.

It then reclaims the investment from private developers, usually through Section 106 contributions collected by local authorities. The money is then hoped to be reallocated to other projects in the South West.

Councillor Brian Leverett, leader of the council said this was a historic day for Poole.

“The Twin Sails Bridge is a world class bridge and is a symbol of our ambition for the town.  We are very thankful to the South West RDA for its commitment to this project,” he said.

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