Land is being prepared for planned new housing development

But the East of England Regional Assembly says it is still a long way short of the �1.6bn worth of investment the region needs.

Projects include land preparation for housing, improvements to wildlife habitats and transport investment.

They have been announced for Beds, Cambs, Essex, Herts and Northants.

Other cash is going to park and ride facilities, landscaping and rail station improvements.

Town centre regeneration

Key projects include �9m for Bedford's station and art gallery, �35m for Luton's transport system, and over �7m for Milton Keynes Hospital to improve the site and build new homes for key workers.

Essex will get �8m for transport schemes in preparation for over 100,000 new homes planned over the next 20 years.

Northamptonshire will receive over �50m extra investment for infrastructure and regeneration schemes including �9m for town centre improvements in Corby.

A plan to revitalise Kettering town centre will cost �5m, and �1.5m will go to Wellingborough's High Street area.

There will also be a �6m project to create at least 1,200 jobs over the next two years and �3m for green space projects, both in the London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area.

Bishop's Stortford will get �2.19m for town centre redevelopment, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Stort and enhanced facilities at a public transport interchange.

Boost for wildlife

Hitchin's former gas works site will be cleaned up, a Stevenage town centre car park landscaped, and a �6.24m improvement scheme will bring new traffic signalling at a congestion spot in Peterborough's London Road.

Improvements to Cambridgeshire park and ride services will cost �3.1m and part of a relocation scheme will release land for housing.

The Cambridge Cowley Road junction will be unlocked to give access to a �3.25m housing development site.

The Addenbrooke's Hospital access road will have a �6.89m boost to unlock a housing development site.