UP to 26,000 jobs could be created in Dorset after the government announced a £12.6million boost including a new access to the A338 Wessex Way.

The spending announced today comes on top of £66.4m already committed under the Growth Deal between the government and the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) announced last summer.

Dorset LEP believes the combined £79million Growth Deal could generate 26,000 jobs, 3,000 homes and up to £650million in public and private investment by 2021.

The extra projects in the latest announcement include:

  • A new access from the A338 Wessex Way to the Wessex Fields business area near Castle Lane East, improving access to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and unlocking more than 2,500 jobs.
  • A ‘business incubation centre’ to exploit the expertise of Bournemouth University and the Arts University Bournemouth in the digital and creative industries.
  • Enabling Kingston Maurward college, near Dorchester, to develop the capacity for initiating new businesses in agriculture technology.

The government also says it is ‘supportive’ of a project to deliver 1,500 homes at Holes Bay in Poole and will ‘advance’ funding discussions.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the government is giving communities the power to “unlock growth and development and make the spending decisions that work for them”.

He added: “And this is happening right here in Dorset, with more money announced today for key projects to boost the local economy as part of the multi-million pound expansion of the government’s Growth Deals.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg – who is due to visit Bournemouth today – said: “A quiet revolution is under way in Dorset and across the country, as Growth Deals signal the death of the culture where Whitehall calls the shots.”

Gordon Page, chair of Dorset LEP, said: “I am particularly pleased with the mix and geographic spread of the projects. We will now move to the implementation stage as we have done with our successful Growth Deal projects agreed in July 2014.”

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: “This is really good news and shows the Govern-ment’s commitment to deliver spending power to those who know where to invest to get the maximum return for com-munities.”

Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, said: “The purpose of this funding is to promote growth. Clearly Dorset is seen as a good place to invest.

“It is really welcome news, particularly due to the urgent need to ease the traffic flows around the hospital,” he added.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said: “Growth Deals help create a stronger economy and a fairer society by boosting local economies, and providing more jobs, better transport and affordable homes.”

Leader of the Council, Councillor John Beesley said: "We've been lobbying Government for some considerable time to support further investment in the A338 Spur Road, specifically to improve access to and relieve congestion around the Royal Bournemouth hospital. 

"The success of Dorset's Growth Deal 2 demonstrates the confidence of government in the huge progress of our LEP and the importance of Bournemouth in delivering future economic growth and jobs "