Investing in the long-term future of Yorkshire

The importance of a region’s infrastructure to its economy is paramount, which makes investment a real strategic priority when it comes to encouraging economic growth.

For over a decade, the project finance team at Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking and Markets has worked very closely with government departments, local authorities and NHS trusts in supporting the development of regional infrastructure.

This has included involvement in a range of public projects – from social housing and roads to hospitals, schools and many other services. Our main aim across all of these projects remains consistent: we want to offer the most suitable funding packages possible, to help projects achieve value for money during the most critical stages of their development.

In Yorkshire, a number of infrastructure projects have benefited from our financial insight – amounting to over £480m in investments. These include:

• Calderdale Hospital – 614 patient beds in replacement hospital facilities
• Leeds Fire – the provision of improved training facilities
• Seven Leeds Schools – places for 4,700 pupils
• Army Foundation College – modern facilities to support training for 1,300 students a year
• Swarcliffe Housing – 1,600 homes upgraded

Funding world-class patient care in Yorkshire

Following £232m of investment in 2008, St James’s University Hospital’s Institute of Oncology, Leeds (Europe’s largest oncology centre) was opened. 

This private finance initiative (PFI) construction project took 38 months to complete and helps Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust attain its goals of offering a world-class centre for cancer care; the new oncology wing has become a centre for research and teaching, as well as treatment.

Some of the highlights of this award-winning health facility, which is also a pathfinder for HM Treasury’s Credit Guarantee Scheme, include:

• 250 in-patient beds
• Five CT simulators
• 12 linear accelerators for radiotherapy
• Three CT scanners
• Two MRI scanners

In addition, the design of the new centre incorporates a host of energy-saving features. These include a heat recovery system, modulated pipe work controls to reduce water consumption and absorption chillers, which capture waste steam, converting it into chilled water for the heating and cooling system.

Lofthouse and Bramham – investing in working together

One of the most important factors in the success of the area is accessibility. That’s why we’ve invested significantly in the road infrastructure of the region to enable the free flow of products, services and customers.

However, the involvement of Lloyds Bank in supporting the delivery of infrastructure is not new. Our Project Finance team assisted in the development of a major link road in West Yorkshire for the Highways Agency – helping to provide a critical link between two of Yorkshire’s busiest transport routes, as well as a more accessible route from the north to the south of England. This strategic route has allowed motorists to bypass Leeds, easing traffic in and around the city considerably.