Government announces funding boost for high streets
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In a major boost for local high streets, up to £830 million from
the Future High Streets Fund will be invested in 72 areas across
England, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced today (26
December). The funding will help these areas transform their high
streets into vibrant hubs for future generations and to protect and
create thousands of jobs. In a key milestone for the Government’s
levelling up agenda, this investment will help areas to recover
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In a major boost for local high streets, up to £830 million from the Future High Streets Fund will be invested in 72 areas across England, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced today (26 December). The funding will help these areas transform their high streets into vibrant hubs for future generations and to protect and create thousands of jobs. In a key milestone for the Government’s levelling up agenda, this investment will help areas to recover from the pandemic while also driving long term growth. Itwill enable the delivery of ambitious regeneration plans, drawn up by places, and fund new local projects such as improvements to transport infrastructure, new homes and the transformation of underused spaces. The funding will also help to protect and create thousands of jobs in a range of industries, delivering opportunities and prosperity to communities across England. Confirmed plans include:
Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “The year ahead will be a big one for the high street as it seeks to recover, adapt and evolve as a result of the pandemic. Today’s £830 million investment from the Future High Streets Fund is one of many ways the Government is working to help our much-loved town centres get through this and prosper into the future.
“The role of high street has
always evolved. We want to support that change and make sure that
they are the beating heart of their local community – with high
quality housing and leisure in addition to shops and
restaurants. “This investment will help us build back better and make town centres a more attractive place to live, work and visit.” The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “We are supporting our high streets to get through this pandemic through business grants, paying people’s wages and tax deferrals. “The Future High Streets Fund will help areas bounce back through regeneration projects that level up opportunities and create jobs right across the country.” The Future High Streets Fund was launched in December 2018 and is a key part of this Government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres – making them a more attractive place to live, work and visit. £107 million of the Future High Streets Fund has been allocated to DCMS to support the regeneration of heritage high streets. The Future High Streets Fund is just one of the ways the government is supporting the retail and hospitality sector. During the pandemic, we made it easier for areas to adapt to the challenges they faced. This included making it easier to demolish and rebuild unused buildings to create homes with our High Street Homes Permitted Development Rights; providing restaurants, pubs and cafes with the freedom to offer takeaway services; and making it easier for businesses and communities to host markets and stalls so customers can be served safely. In May we launched a fund to help councils reopen high streets safely and we recently announced that retailers will be able to extend their opening hours over the festive period to help keep shoppers and staff safe. This month we extended protections from the threat of eviction for businesses unable to pay their rent until March 2021, taking the duration of these measures to one year. Our recent proposals for the new Parking Code of Practice will support shoppers visiting their local high street by introducing a tiered approach to private car parking fines and ensuring a fair appeals process. We are also reviewing the provision of public toilets to ensure that there are appropriate facilities for visitors to town centres. ENDS Notes to Editors: Fifteen areas across England have been awarded a confirmed £255 million from the Future High Streets Fund. A further 57 areas have received a provisional funding offers totalling up to £576 million and we will be working with them to finalise their proposals. The fifteen places who are receiving full funding are: 1.Tamworth Town Centre – Tamworth, £21,652,555 2.Sunderland City Centre – Sunderland, £25,000,000 3.Sutton – Sutton, £11,346,704 4.Bishop Auckland – Durham, £19,856,853 5.Blyth Town Centre – Northumberland, £11,121,059 6.Kidderminster - Wyre Forest, £20,510,598 7.Old Kent Road – Southwark, £9,605,854 8.Swindon – Swindon, £25,000,000 9.Stockport – Stockport, £14,500,000 10.Winsford - Cheshire West and Chester, £9,980,000 11.Sheffield High Street – Sheffield, £15,817,001 12.Blackfriars, Northern City Centre – Worcester, £17,939,000 13.Birkenhead – Wirral, £24,581,011 14.Brierley Hill High Town Centre – Dudley, £9,985,689
15.Stretford
–Trafford, £17,605,674 The 57 places receiving provisional funding offers are: 1.Leamington Town Spa, Warwick (Warwickshire) – £10,015,121 2.Nuneaton Town Centre, Nuneaton and Bedworth (Warwickshire) – £13,362,736 3.Wolverhampton City Centre – £15,760,196 4.Walsall – £11,439,967 5.Newcastle-Under-Lyme – £11,048,260 6.Stafford – £14,377,723 7.Tottenham, Haringey – £10,019,648 8.Woolwich Town Centre, Greenwich – £17,150,964 9.Wealdstone, Harrow – £7,448,583 10.Putney Town Centre, Wandsworth – £1,058,706 11.Elland Town Centre, Calderdale (West Yorkshire) – £6,310,812 12.Northallerton, Hambleton (North Yorkshire) – £6,085,013 13.Rotherham – £12,660,708 14.Halifax – £11,762,823 15.Barnsley Towns Centre – £15,624,456 16.Scunthorpe – £10,675,323 17.New Ferry, Wirral – £3,213,523 18.Wigan – £16,633,691 19.Crewe – £14,148,128 20.Rochdale (Greater Manchester) – £17,080,458 21.Farnworth, Bolton (Greater Manchester) – £13,306,817 22.Oldham – £10,750,237 23.Kirkham Town Centre, Fylde – £6,290,831 24.Maryport Town Centre, Allerdale – £11,527,839 25.Carlisle City Centre – £9,129,874 26.Plymouth City Centre – £12,046,873 27.Barnstable, North Devon – £6,548,876 28.Newton Abbot, Teignbridge – £9,199,364 29.Paignton, Torbay – £13,363,248 30.Kingswood, South Gloucestershire – £12,555,464 31.Salisbury City Centre – £9,355,731 32.Penzance, Cornwall – £10,403, 112 33.Trowbridge, Wiltshire – £16,347,056 34.Yeovil – £9,756,897 35.Taunton, Somerset – £13,962,981 36.Loftus, Redcar and Cleveland – £5,833,628 37.Middlesbrough Centre – £14,170,352 38.Stockton – £16,543,812 39.South Shields – £5,959,187 40.Derby City Centre, St Peters Cross – £15,034,398 41.Sutton-in-Ashfield (Nottinghamshire) – £6,279,872 42.Grantham, South Kesteven (Lincolnshire) – £5,558,818 43.Grimsby (North East Lincolnshire) – £17,280,917 44.Nottingham City Centre, West End Point – £12,523,981 45.Heanor, Amber Valley – £8,592,837 46.Northampton – £8,442,730 47.Buxton, High Peak – £6,608,223 48.Dover Town Centre and Waterfront – £3,202,226 49.Newhaven, Lewes – £5,004,939 50.Chatham Town Centre, Medway – £9,497,720 51.Ramsgate, Thanet – £2,704,213 52.Commercial Road, Portsmouth (Hampshire) – £3,122,375 53.Fratton, Portsmouth – £3,858,489 54.High Wycombe – £11,886,876 55.St Neots, Huntingdonshire – £3,748,815 56.March High Street, Fenland – £6,447,129 57.Great Yarmouth – £13,774,430 |