Communities across Cornwall are being invited to apply for a Council grant to support their ambitions for their high streets and make improvements to benefit residents and businesses.
The Town Delivery Fund offers grants ranging from £5,000 to £100,000 to fund activities including:
- providing alternative use for vacant or underused premises, such as pop-up shops and mixed use;
- initiatives promoting community/mixed uses and increased footfall;
- establishing regular markets in town centres;
- public realm improvements – for example, signage and wayfinding interventions;
- shopfront improvement schemes; and,
- supporting pop up uses and cultural activity/events such as temporary eateries, performing arts, regular markets and other cultural or creative activities.
Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for economy, said:
“This funding builds upon over £1 million of previous investment from the Town Vitality Fund. We want to help communities across Cornwall to develop their own ambitions for their high streets and improve the future for their residents.
“This funding is about helping communities to examine their town centres and the continuing role they can play in supporting community and business activity. Cornwall Council is committed to investing in our town centres, allowing them to not only survive but to thrive.”
The Town Delivery Fund has been set up with funding from the Town Centre Revitalisation Fund (TCRF) to provide grants which aim to support communities’ ambitions for economic, social and environmental revitalisation of town centres.
Cornwall Council set up the £4m TCRF in February 2020 in response to the findings of its Vitality of High Streets Inquiry, which heard evidence on the economic challenges faced by Cornwall’s high streets.
To combat these challenges, including empty shops and reduced footfall due to changing shopping habits, the TCRF aims to support town vitality and prosperity by encouraging communities to form partnerships and develop investment proposals.