Historic English high streets will receive £95 million government funding
14 September 2019, 08:12
The government has named 69 high streets across England that will benefit from a £95 million fund to revive historic shopping areas.
Government ministers have revealed that towns and cities across England can now start spending a fund allocated to revive their high streets.
The £95 million cash injection was announced in May, with £40 million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and £52 million from the Government's Future High Street Fund.
A further £3 million will also be provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Midlands will receive the largest portion of the funds, with £21.1 million going on projects including a £2 million for restoration of Coventry's historic high street.
Up to £2 million will go to Stoke-on-Trent ro redevelop vacant buildings and create more homes.
London and the south East will receive £14.3 million, including £2 million to be spent in Tottenham to restore the damage done to shops during the 2011 riots.
Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "Our nation's heritage is one of our great calling cards to the world, attracting millions of visitors to beautiful historic buildings that sit at the heart of our communities.
"It is right that we ensure these buildings are preserved for future generations but it is important that we make them work for the modern world."
Communities Secretary of State Robert Jenrick said: "Today's funding, part of the £3.6 billion we have committed to helping towns across the country, will revitalise much-loved historic buildings, helping to reverse the decline of our town centres."
The government has said the majority of the money will be spent on essential repairs to historic buildings, develop educational projects to turn the sites into community hubs, and help increase skills shortages in areas like stonemasonry.
Other projects to receive the funding include £1.99 million for Plymouth for regeneration works, education projects and community events to help boost the local high street's heritage buildings.
Wigan will use up to £1.27 million to restore vacant historic buildings to help support the creation of jobs and increase footfall in the area.
And Scarborough will make key repair works to buildings as well as providing local property owners, residents and trade people with the opportunity to gain practical heritage skills with up to £2 million from the Heritage High Streets fund.
Spending breakdown...
London and the South East: £14.3 million
South West: £13.7 million
East of England: £7 million
Midlands: £21.1 million
North East and Yorkshire: £17.2 million
North West: £18.7 million
Towns and cities receiving funding...
North West
Bacup, Rossendale
Barrow in Furness
Blackpool
Burnley
Chester
Fleetwood
Kirkham
Lancaster
Maryport, Cumbria
Ormskirk
Prescot
Stalybridge
Tyldesley, Greater Manchester
Wigan Town Centre
North East & Yorkshire
Barnsley
Hexham
Huddersfield
Hull
Leeds
Middlesbrough
North Shields
Northallerton
Scarborough CA, Castle ward
Selby Town Centre
Skipton
Sowerby Bridge
Wakefield
Midlands
Brierley Hill
Buxton
Coventry
Grantham
Hinckley
Kettering Town Centre
Leicester City Centre
Leominster
Lincoln
Newark-on-Trent Town Centre
Oswestry
Stoke on Trent
Wednesbury Town Centre
East of England
Bedford
Dunstable
Great Yarmouth
King's Lynn
Lowestoft
North Walsham
Swaffham
South West
Chard
Cullompton
Gloucester
Keynsham
Midsomer Norton
Plymouth
Poole
Redruth
Tewkesbury
Weston-Super-Mare
London and the South East
Chatham Intra
Croydon
Gosport
Harlesden
Hastings
Newport
Ramsgate
Reading
Ryde
Tottenham
Tower Hamlets
Woolwich
