Major Royalties for Regions Funding Commitments to Benefit Peel Region
A new “Growing Our South” plan announced in the State Budget 2014-15 will help implement major infrastructure and community projects across the Peel, Wheatbelt, South-West and Great Southern Region.
This initiative, which will work in the same way as the Pilbara Cities, the Midwest Investment Plan and revitalisation funds in the Gascoyne, West Kimberley and Goldfield-Esperance, has an allocation of $600million over five years for high level strategic projects across the four regions.
While information about the use and allocation of these funds is limited at the present time, Peel Development Commission Chief Executive Mellisa Teede said the Commission would be working with the other three Regional Development Commissions to develop a submission of detailed business cases to access a fair share of these funds.
Our emphasis will be on projects which will act as the economic drivers capable of sustaining a forecast population growth in Peel to 188,400 people by 2031, she said.
The Peel Development Commission will also have access to a $292million fund over five years to develop major economic, social and community development projects through the Peel Regional Investment Blueprint initiative. The draft Peel Investment Blueprint will be distributed more widely in the near future.
Among the new Royalties for Regions funding initiatives announced in the 2014/ 15 State Budget is the allocation of $5.92m to the Peel Development Commission for a Regional Grants Scheme and a Community Chest Fund.
The Regional Grants funding will released annually on a competitive basis and the Community Chest Fund will provide grants for small, local demand driven projects. These will be open for new applications throughout each year.
More information about the criteria and funding process for these grants will be made available on our website as it comes to hand.
Peel also benefits from the State Budget allocation of funds for improvements in state school infrastructure.
A new Child and Parent Centre at Dudley Park Primary school will be completed by the end of 2014, and a new Primary School will built in the developing area of Lakelands in 2015.
Approval has also been given to commence the second stage of Halls Head Community College valued at $30million.
The Peel Development Commission is also studying the full State Budget papers to assess other funding options to bring back to the community.