Housing Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that 44 new areas across England have been shortlisted for a slice of £4.1bn in Housing Infrastructure funding to provide vital infrastructure like roads, bridges and new schools needed by new communities.

For the East Midlands, that could mean funding of up to £100m for new infrastructure that will support the two HS2 stations proposed for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

A network of garden villages, which includes developments at Stanton and the Chetwynd Barracks site, will form the centerpiece of the HS2 Hub and innovation campus at Toton and will bring huge economic and quality of life benefits for local people. This is supported by new housing and employment opportunities set around a major new link road between Chesterfield and Staveley in the north.

The bid has been led by Nottinghamshire County Council, on behalf of the wider region.

Further assessment of the bids will now take place, with Government officials working alongside the local bid team. A final decision is expected in the autumn.

Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, said:

“This is a huge step in the right direction for our joint bid to capitalise on HS2 and supports our ambitions for growth in the area.

“The creation of the HS2 maintenance depot at Staveley and the ability to serve Chesterfield with high speed trains will help transform Derbyshire’s economy bringing more jobs and more scope for local people to travel to employment.

“We’ve set out a comprehensive approach to integrating Chesterfield station and associated development areas into the town, and accelerating the regeneration of the Staveley corridor and key surrounding sites.

“This latest announcement gives us a vote of confidence in our plans and we look forward to working with colleagues in Chesterfield, Derby and Nottinghamshire to take our bid to the next stage.”

Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said:

“We are proud to lead the Housing Infrastructure bid on behalf of the region and I am absolutely delighted that it has passed this very important hurdle, demonstrating that the Government shares our vision for the huge growth potential that exists in the East Midlands, particularly around HS2.

“The development of a network of mixed use ‘garden villages’ will help us attract and retain high quality jobs and talented people to complement our wider growth story.

“If our bid is successful, it has the potential to be one of the biggest single investments in infrastructure ever made in Nottinghamshire.”

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, Leader of Derby City Council, said:

“I am thrilled that Derby is part of this HS2-centred Housing Infrastructure bid. The East Midlands has huge potential, and being shortlisted is yet another example of our strong commitment to partnership working paying dividends.

“Infinity Garden Village would have a huge, and extremely positive impact on both housing and employment benefits across the city − especially at nearby Infinity Park Derby. I’m certain also that the development of Celanese Urban Village would be a catalyst for regeneration of the Spondon area, and indeed the entire HS2 route.”

Independent analysis suggests that, by targeting key sectors that can benefit from HS2 connectivity, in particular manufacturing, technology and high value services, HS2 can help deliver an additional 74,000 jobs and almost £4bn of GVA by 2043 in the region.