Over £5 Million Funding Secured for Wyre Forest

Wyre Forest District Council secured more than £5 million of external funding in 2009/10 according to a Community and Regeneration scrutiny committee report released recently.

One of the largest projects to benefit from external funding in the last year is Kidderminster Railway Station Interchange which is being funded by the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA), London Midland, and Worcestershire County Council. Planned to start in late 2010, this £3m project to radically overhaul the railway station will include a new station building, a revamped forecourt with new public transport facilities, and improved access in and out of the station through a new signalised junction. WFDC has contributed to this through ‘in kind’ support from officer’s time in developing the project, but has also provided financial support via monies secured through Section 106 Agreements.

An important development in the future of Kidderminster was progressed during 2009 with the launch of the ReWyre Regeneration Initiative and the Kidderminster Regeneration Prospectus. Funding was attracted from Worcestershire County Council, Advantage West Midlands and British Waterways to bring the prospectus to fruition and this paves the way for further funding and investment that will help to dramatically improve the town.

External funding has also helped to fund projects aimed at encouraging sporting and physical activities. The new Stourport Netball Dome was one of these projects, receiving over £600k in funding. Other projects included free swimming for the under-16s and over 60s, disabled sports sessions, a race for life event, community sports coaches, and dance and fitness instructors.

In addition, a number of arts and cultural projects have received external funding, including the annual Kidderminster Arts Festival, the Severn Project to celebrate the River Severn in partnership with Shropshire County Council, two murals painted in Worcester Street and in a canal tunnel in Kidderminster. Bewdley Museum has also received funding to improve exhibition displays and the preservation of historical records.

The local natural environment has also attracted external funding for projects such as visitor attraction activities at Moorhall Marsh nature reserve in Stourport and for improving biodiversity and woodland management at Hurcott Pool in Kidderminster.

Councillor Stephen Clee, Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration said,

“It is vital that we continually seek to obtain funding from external sources to enhance the services that Council provides. Competition for external funding is increasingly fierce and funds are becoming increasingly scarce. Attracting external funding into the District is a key activity for the council so we can continue to undertake a large variety of projects that benefits residents, businesses and visitors.”

Follow the link for more information on economic regneration in Wyre Forest

Date of issue - 19 May 2010