Hampshire County Council has approved spending £1.1 billion over three years on its capital programme, which includes major highways, waste, and school projects across the county.

Executive member Cllr Kirsty North approved the budget earlier this week, of which 75 per cent will be spent on highways and transport, 16 per cent on the property, and the rest is divided between recreation and flood, coastal defences and waste.

The programme is funded by £899.55 million of external resources funding and £242 million of local funding.

The programme includes more than 90 highway projects, the addition of six schools to the schools condition programme (SCP) that will undertake re-roofing and thermal improvement works, and the construction of a new materials recovery facility (MRF) at Eastleigh, with a value of £50.5 million.

Cllr North said: “Despite the challenges we [Hampshire County Council] face, it is a really significant capital programme, and there is a lot of welcoming investment in there.”

Included in the 90 highways and transport projects, with an expenditure of £853m, is the M27 Junction 10 plan, with an increased budget from £97.5m to £113.5m. That scheme is about revamping the junction to support new homes and jobs at Welborne Garden Village near Fareham.

Also included is the new Botley Bypass, with an increased budget of £48.22m, and the Havant Footbridge replacement project, which is anticipated to start later in 2026.

The property services department, which is in charge of the council’s buildings, including school buildings, has a budget of £185m.

Six schools are added to the SCP, forming part of a re-roofing and thermal improvement programme.

Among the schools included are Bursledon Junior and Gomer Infant in Gosport.

Under the property budget, £1.5m will be invested in the corporate estate to improve energy efficiency at the council’s buildings, including boiler, LED lighting, and roofing upgrades.

The £24m budget for recreation, which looks after the county parks, includes an additional £655,000 for improvement works at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve.

Funding will also be released for the Country Park Transformation (CPT) programme, which will see improvements at Lepe Park, Royal Victoria, River Hamble, Staunton, and the Queen Elizabeth country parks.

Lastly, the waste and environment area will have a budget of £78.5m. This will include constructing the £50.5 m new materials recovery facility in Eastleigh that is expected to be open by 2027, council officers confirmed.