Cannock Chase Council is to be allocated £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) as announced in the Budget in October 2021. This will make a huge difference to Council plans to rejuvenate Cannock town centre.
It was one of 107 successful bids from across the UK to share in £1.7bn of funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The Council submitted its bid earlier in the year within a 12-week period and is keen to continue to engage with residents and businesses to help shape its thinking on the proposed regeneration.
It is encouraging people to view its online consultation and virtual exhibition called `A brighter future for Cannock town centre – welcome to our virtual exhibition` to share information, leave feedback and indicate their support for the visuals produced. This can be found at vpc.tetratecheurope.com/engage/cannockchase.
The consultation seeks feedback across four key themes: Leisure & Culture Offer, Connectivity (or getting around), Business & Skills Workspace and the Removal of Eyesores & Celebration of Assets. There is also a poll to participate in.
The successful bid was classed as category 2 (medium) which makes this achievement even more pleasing. Furthermore, it needed to be capable of delivery within the specified timescales and budget the Government set in its prospectus and meet its cost-benefit ratio in order to attract support.
The bid was built on previous work undertaken by the Council when it unsuccessfully bid for the Future High Streets Fund when it also focussed on Cannock town centre. This was considered to be the only regeneration scheme developed sufficiently enough to stand any chance of attracting Government funding. We appreciate that work is needed in all our towns, the Council is now developing a pipeline of projects to ensure we are ready to utilise future opportunities.
The allocation from the Government follows the significant private sector investment already made in the District by private investors and reflects the changing nature and potential of the area.