Communities are set to see their local areas transformed through a £319m investment announced by the Government.
The move forms part of the Pride in Place strategy, created to “restore pride and opportunity in neighbourhoods across the country,” it said.
The investment is to be delivered through a reinvigoration of our high streets, with £301m of the new funds supporting local communities to reimagine and revive struggling high streets and make them fit for the future.
Through these partnerships, town centres could be transformed into mixed-use spaces with new homes, health services, libraries, community hubs and green spaces.
Local businesses and other organisations will be encouraged to get involved, with locations confirmed in due course.
Funding will also support a summer of activity on high streets this year, with innovative measures to boost footfall - just as areas are set to benefit from major culture and sporting events including the World Cup.
Plans are also moving forward for areas in the first phase of Pride in Place, providing communities £20m over 10 years to spend on what matters most to them and kickstarting a wave of regeneration across the country.
If the pilot works, the Government intends to roll this model out nationwide.
Communities Secretary, Steve Reed (left), said: “People have watched their communities decline for too long, with little say over how they’re run. This government is determined to change that, giving communities the tools, the funding and the power they need to rebuild.
From new playgrounds to reimagined high streets, we’re putting power back in people’s hands. People across the country will see and feel the difference this investment makes, restoring pride in local areas.”
Examples of schemes already in place include the Neighbourhood Board in Dewsbury funding the establishment of an enforcement and prevention team to address crime and anti-social behaviour.
Meanwhile, in Eastbourne, the new plan centres on bringing empty and neglected buildings back into use, giving them new purpose for the community. Funding will also target deprived neighbourhoods, revitalise the town centre and seafront, and creating better opportunities for local people.
In Torquay, residents are driving improvements to streets, the town centre, and skills and training, while in Wrexham, the funding will go towards a new youth zone and making the town centre “safer and more welcoming for everyone.”
The allocations for the £301m High Streets Innovation Partnerships will be confirmed in due course, the Government added.
In response, Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: “We’re pleased to see more funds being made available for high street revitalisation. We hope that the High Streets Innovation Partnerships are given the resources and the local leadership needed to truly bring high streets back to life. It will be important for this new initiative to engage meaningfully with the businesses on those high streets - they are the ones who understand what their communities need.
“While we’ll always welcome extra investment in our high streets, the harsh reality is that for many high street businesses, the costs of running a shop are crippling any chance of long-term success. If high streets are to be fully revitalised, we need to see wholesale reform of business rates and decisive action to reduce the unfair competition from overseas imports. Imposing a handling fee on low-value imports could help level the playing field - and the revenue raised could be used to reform business rates once and for all.”
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