Some £90m of additional investment as part of a new Welsh Government approach to transforming town centres across the country has been confirmed.
The Transforming Towns package announced Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn, includes measures to increase footfall by making sure the public sector locate services in town centre locations, tackle empty buildings and land to help bring them back into use, and the greening of town centres.
The investment includes:
- £36m for town centre regeneration projects, extending the government’s current capital programme for a further year and bringing in an anticipated total investment of almost £58m;
- £13.6m to tackle empty and dilapidated buildings and land. This will enable local authorities to take enforcement action to bring empty buildings and land back into use;
- £2m for coastal towns to support projects to an anticipated value of £3m which will contribute to town centre / high street regeneration;
- £10m of additional funding for the Town Centre Loans scheme, taking the total to £41.6m, to bring vacant and underutilised buildings back into use in town centres;
- £5m funding for Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity within town centres. This will support greening projects which will deliver environmental benefits and make town centres more attractive places to visit.
The announcement comes as Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley was last week named High Street of the Year, seeing off competition from across the 海角视频 to pick up the prestigious prize, which recognises the entrepreneurial spirit of local independent businesses and the keen sense of community that has led to the award.
The £90m Transforming Towns package builds on the £800m investment in towns as a result of Welsh Government investment since 2014.
Around 40% of the Welsh population live in small towns of fewer than 20,000 people but many towns are struggling in the wake of declining retail sales as the way we use town centres has changed.
The Welsh Government says it is taking a new Town Centre First approach, which means locating services and buildings in town centres wherever possible. As part of this approach, all Welsh Government departments will put the health and vibrancy of town centres as the starting point for their location decision-making processes.
Utilising this approach, the public sector is also being encouraged to support towns by locating offices, facilities and services within them in order to drive footfall and create or sustain vibrancy.
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Ms Blythyn makes the announcement at the Queen’s Market building in Rhyl, which has received £5m of Welsh Government funding. This forms part of a total investment of £16.5m in the town centre as a result of regeneration schemes.
She said: “The retail sector has shrunk dramatically and this trend looks set to continue. This is why we need to refocus our efforts on town centres, transforming them to be to be fit for the 21st century.
"The Transforming Towns package I am announcing today will help towns do just that – giving them a much needed boost. As part of this package, we’re taking action to bring empty and derelict properties in our town centres back into use and our Town Centre First Principle will help bring increased footfall and vibrancy.
“Taken together these measures will make a significant contribution to the health of our town centres. It signals that this Government is serious about transforming towns right across Wales.”
Welsh Local Government Association spokesman for regeneration, Rob Stewart, said: “Although a town centre location will not be appropriate for all services and facilities, this approach will ensure that these locations are given primary consideration, and that any decisions for locating elsewhere should be backed by evidence.”
Federation of Small Businesses Wales policy chair, Ben Francis, welcomed the Welsh Government announcement of the £90m investment. “Welsh towns are at the heart of our civil, economic and cultural society,” he said
. “Ultimately, no single approach or initiative will deliver sustainability for towns. Welsh towns are as vibrant and diverse as the people and the businesses that occupy them, and we firmly believe that the best way forward is for those communities to be empowered to develop new ideas as to what their town needs for the future, and to pitch into a Welsh Government Future of Towns Fund in order to deliver this.
"We are pleased that Welsh Government is clear that this is only the beginning of the conversation and we look forward to continuing to work with ministers to deliver a thriving future for our Welsh towns.”