FENLAND Council has collected £746,000 in Section 106 Agreement money and £153,000 of it has already been allocated for affordable housing projects. Members of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Policy Panel were told last week that £593,000 of the col

FENLAND Council has collected £746,000 in Section 106 Agreement money - and £153,000 of it has already been allocated for affordable housing projects.Members of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Policy Panel were told last week that £593,000 of the collected money is to be spent on public open spaces. Plans are currently being drawn up to identify sites and schemes for improvement across Fenland.A further £651,655 has been earmarked from developers. Another £23,468 has now come due for collection and is set to be paid to the authority in the near future.Just £4,600 in Section 106 Agreement funding has been identified as outstanding and the council is currently pursuing the developers for payment. The debt figure is in stark contrast to allegations before Christmas that £1.5million had been left uncollected. The £153,000 allocated for affordable housing comes from the Section 106 Agreement negotiated with James Developments, which built the housing scheme in Creek Road, March.The money will be part of the council's contribution, which forms part of a £10.2million funding bid to the Housing Corporation to provide much-needed affordable housing in Fenland.Council leader, Councillor Geoffrey Harper said: "Section 106 Agreement payments are invaluable for helping us further improve the infrastructure and environment of Fenland. We have recently agreed to fund a new post for a Section 106 officer, who will work closely with developers to ensure the council makes the most of the opportunities available, in the interests of local people.