Wyre Forest District Council applies for £17.9 million through the Levelling Up Fund
News release issued:
NWedR working on behalf of Wyre Forest District Council has submitted a regeneration proposal worth £17.9 million to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund is the Government's major regeneration initiative of 2021 providing grants to support capital investment projects across Great Britain.
Kidderminster’s Levelling Up Fund bid is a culture and heritage led, town centre regeneration proposal which fulfils the strict criteria detailed in the prospectus. The focus of the regeneration interventions is on repurposing Kidderminster town centre, with improvements to the canal towpath extending the benefits to the wider community. There are three key projects in the proposal.
The first is to refurbish Kidderminster Town Hall in partnership with Kidderminster Town Council. The Town Hall is a key town centre heritage asset, a cultural space and events venue. The second project is to bring back into use an empty listed heritage building in the heart of town, and thirdly to create a new walking and cycle pathway along the canal towpath in partnership with Worcestershire County Council - linking the heritage and natural assets with Kidderminster town centre.
This proposed investment will complement high priority projects already underway in Kidderminster. The town successfully secured £20.5m of grant funding through the Future High streets Fund – awarded in December 2020.
Councillor Helen Dyke, Leader of Wyre Forest District Council said:
“This is an exciting time for Kidderminster. It has the essential ingredients for a successful future and there is strong public support for change. We have set out a clear vision to guide that change and funding available to start to implement it. All of our transformation projects reflect the priorities expressed in our newly adopted Kidderminster 2040 Vision with the support of Hemingway Design through consultation with local people and businesses. We are genuinely looking forward to seeing the results of a lot of hard work, and by submitting robust funding bids, we will achieve this vision to benefit the community for years to come.”
Councillor Juliet Smith, Mayor of Kidderminster said:
“We have our fingers firmly crossed for the success of this funding application. It would enable repairs and renovation for the Town Hall which would create a new publicly accessible cultural and creative space incorporating arts venues, theatres and music space within the most prominent landmark and historical building in the town centre.”
The council expects to be notified about the outcome of the submission in the Autumn.