PLANS to create 5,000 new jobs and 5,000 new homes in the region are moving forward after a Government minister visited York to sign over £122 million worth of funding.

Greg Clark, Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, visited the University of York yesterday to officially sign over funding allocated through the Government's Growth Deals.

The money has been awarded to the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which put in bids for funding to support its ambition of creating 5,000 new jobs and 5,000 new homes by 2021.

The £122.2 million, made up of £110.1 million allocated in July and an additional £12.1 million announced last month, is to be split between a variety of projects.

Part of the funding is to be allocated to two science-based projects that are set to result in 1,300 jobs for York through the creation of a National Agri-Food Campus at Sand Hutton, and the York Bio-hub plans at the University of York's Heslington East campus, which will support the LEP’s ambitions to be a global leader in food, agri-tech, and bio-renewables.

Mr Clark said: "This is one of the most significant deals in the country. Financially it is a reflection of the importance of the whole economy, not just the big urban economies, but the rural economies.

"This is a big moment. None of these proposals were put forward by central Government. They were minted in Yorkshire.

"The LEP's bid had a very clear plan with two things that distinguished it. The first was recognition of the importance of road connections in a rural economy.

"The second was it was visionary about the importance of the rural economy and agriculture in creating growth. In the past, people haven't looked at food and farming as being the engines of growth, but they are and we have a world class reputation for quality and research here in this region."

Other projects to receive allocations from the funding include transport investment on the A1079, which will see dualling of the road near Barmby Moor and Wilberfoss, and the A1/A59 junction near Knaresborough where the two slip roads off the A1(M) will be widened and traffic lights installed.

A further allocation will be awarded to help bring forward the new livestock market and Agri-Business Parks at Old Malton with funding for a new roundabout on the A169 and other infrastructure to provide access to the twin employment sites.

LEP chairman Barry Dodd said: "If we grow businesses people have got to be able to access them. If we create thousands of jobs those people have to have somewhere to live.

"While the fund is growing business, we cannot do it without infrastructure plans, so I'm really pleased we are signing off this deal."

The funding is also supporting housing projects in Selby, Northallerton and Scarborough, and investing in facilities at Askham Bryan College and Harrogate College.