TAUNTON Deane Borough Council has been awarded more than £400,000 by the Government to help move forward a major local development.

The council successfully bid for funding from the £5 million Local Capacity Fund designed to help bring extra resources to large housing schemes across the country.

Schemes had to involve at least 1,500 homes and the money will speed up the necessary work, enabling homes to be provided sooner than would otherwise be possible.

Taunton Deane is one of 37 successful local authorities gaining funding and will now decide exactly where the money could be best spent. The award will focus on delivery of the Monkton Heathfield large urban extension development.

The council has been told that it will receive £160,000 in funding this year with a further £240,500 in 2015-16.

The funding could help pay for planning, project management and technical activities necessary to bring sites to the point of delivery.

Cllr Mark Edwards, the council’s executive councillor for planning, said: “This is extremely good news and I am delighted the bid has been successful. This award will provide us with the extra resource to work with developers and so speed up the delivery of the Monkton Heathfield urban extension.”