£17m coastal and rural investment signed off at meeting in Northumberland

Help for businesses, protection for local wildlife and enhanced infrastructure for cut-off areas are all promised under a major plan for the region’s rural and seaside landscapes.

The North East Combined Authority (NECA) is to launch a new rural and coastal taskforce and signed off on an initial £17 million cash injection on Tuesday.

That funding will be put towards proposals including a rural business advice service, interventions to support local food production, and nature recovery programmes across Northumberland, County Durham, and Tyne and Wear.

A wider vision backed by council leaders at the meeting in Morpeth details big ambitions to lower greenhouse gas emissions, increase tree and woodland cover, and reduce the disruption caused by storms, flooding, coastal erosion and wildfires.

There are also plans to deliver better services in outlying communities held back by a lack of infrastructure – including good quality affordable housing, public transport, digital connectivity, and healthcare.

Mayor Kim McGuinness said the measures would be put towards protecting the “most outstandingly beautiful part of the country”, stretching all the way from Berwick to Barnard Castle.

It is hoped the investment will help to lever in at least a further £25 million of regeneration funding from other sources over the next five years to help rural and coastal areas unlock their potential.

Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson added that it was vital for urban and rural areas to work together and to put environmental issues at the heart of decision-making.