Five North East high streets could be revitalised with the help of a £675m pool of Government cash after making it through to the next round of of the funding process.
Local authorities at Bishop Auckland, Darlington, South Shields, Stockton, and Sunderland have each received around £150,000 to develop plans to make their high streets “fit for the future”.
The money is being secured from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s £675m Future High Streets Fund, which has created a shortlist of 50 town and city centres that could secure further cash from the scheme.
The scheme has come at a time of a growing crisis on the 海角视频’s high street, with the growth of online retailing and a range of other factors leading to hundreds of shop closures and thousands of job losses.
The five North East towns and cities have made it through to the next phase of the initiative and could win larger funding towards improving transport facilities or converting empty retail units into homes.
Sunderland City Council said that if its bid is successful it could receive up to £25m to grow its high street. It is expected that the money would be used to support investment across the city centre, including plans to improve the train station.
Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “This announcement is another huge step forward in delivering our vision of a vibrant, dynamic city centre. This is a hugely competitive process, and we have done a fantastic job in moving to the next stage with our bid.
“I am determined that we develop an undeniable business case to ensure that Sunderland benefits from the FHSF, and uses it to deliver yet-more positive change in the city centre.
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“There is a palpable sense of momentum now - we mean it when we say that we will transform the city centre for everyone, and this funding could really support this process. We’re working hard to make sure Sunderland sees the benefit.”
The South Shields bid focuses on better links between the town centre, the riverside and the foreshore; finding new uses for vacant buildings; improving leisure facilities; and providing housing in the town centre.
South Tyneside Council leader Iain Malcolm said: “We recognised some time ago that for our town centres to survive, and indeed thrive, they need to evolve. That’s why we launched our South Shields 365 regeneration masterplan, creating the conditions and the infrastructure to generate public sector confidence and investment.
“This is already paying dividends, with an additional 450,000 visitors a year to the town centre thanks to the success of The Word, for example.
“The fact that we have been selected to go through to the next phase is recognition from Government and an endorsement of our plans as credible and deliverable. We look forward to working together to drive forward our plans for a vibrant town centre.”
High Streets Minister Jake Berry said: “High Streets are a crucial part of our local economies and people care about them because they are also the centres of their community.
“But we recognise that changing consumer behaviour and the rise of online shopping presents a significant challenge and that’s why we are taking action to help them evolve.
“Many of our high streets are successfully re-inventing themselves and with these new plans now in development, local leaders, who know their areas best, will be driving forward the transformation of their town centres into further great success stories.”