Plans to transform the high street in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, have been boosted by a £7.5m investment from the West of England Combined Authority (Weca).
The provisional investment, which is subject to government funding being secured, will support the council to pedestrianise Regent Street through the area’s commercial hub and acquire property in the first phase of redevelopment.
It will also go towards the restoration of the nearby Whitfield Tabernacle, a derelict 18th century church that was once the base of prominent Methodist preacher George Whitefield, into a cultural and community venue.
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Weca’s contribution could see the total spend on the regeneration rise to £25m, on top of a provisional award of £12.5m from the government’s Future High Streets programme and £5m from South Gloucestershire council.
The pledge is linked to the Love our High Streets programme, an initiative Weca announced in 2018 to improve three town centres across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.
Kingswood, on the eastern border of the City of Bristol, was selected as the pilot for South Gloucestershire.
High street retail has taken a series of blows throughout the pandemic, with lockdown restrictions forcing the temporary closure of shops selling non-essential goods.
A series of recent deals involving established high street fashion brands have reflected a longstanding trend that’s seen consumers move towards online shopping and dozens of big-name chains falling into administration.
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Digital fashion retailer Asos recently acquired the Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands from Sir Philip Green’s failed Arcadia empire, but the deal did not include the brands’ high street stores.
Boohoo has also bought the digital assets of former Arcadia brands Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis, which again did not incorporate their physical premises.
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West of England Mayor Tim Bowles said that high streets still had a part to play in the region’s recovery and remain “anchors” of local communities.
Mr Bowles said: “The future of our high streets isn’t just about shops, it’s about our businesses, community activities and the way that spaces are used.
“Kingswood is by far the stand-out example of how, by working together in the region and with government, we can have a positive plan for our high streets and make them real destinations again.”
The leader of South Gloucestershire council Toby Savage described Mayor Bowles’ support for the redevelopment of Kingswood high street as “invaluable” in enabling the council to demonstrate to the government how £25m of public investment could be delivered.
Weca has also committed £350,000 to support the council to develop an outline business case to secure funding for measures to improve public transport infrastructure around the north fringe of Bristol.