£20m announced for Nelson!

 

Nelson is one of 55 towns across the country which will receive the endowment-style levelling up funding over the next 10 years.

Councillor Asjad Mahmood, Leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: “This is fantastic news – we very much welcome the announcement of additional money which will be managed locally.

“This funding gives us long term certainty to deliver projects over the next 10 years based on the town’s needs and priorities.

“We can build on the good work which is already underway to transform Nelson through the Town Deal.”

Pendle Borough Council received £25m from the Towns Fund for seven projects across the town ranging from improving the parks to making the town more accessible and boosting local businesses.

It has also received £6.5m Levelling Up money to transform Colne’s Market Hall and upgrade three theatres, creating a new Heritage Quarter in the town.

The new Long-Term Plan funding will be used on local priorities such as reviving high streets, tackling anti-social behaviour, improving transport and growing the local economy.

Rose Rouse, Chief Executive of Pendle Borough Council, said: “We’ve been working hard with our partners through the Town Deal Board to revitalise Nelson and maximise its potential.

“This new funding means we can boost this work by looking at other ways to regenerate the high street by reducing the number of empty shops, having more cultural events and ensuring people feel safe in the town.

“It’s so important that everyone enjoys living, working, studying and visiting the town.”

The Long-Term Plan for Towns will require Town Boards to develop their own plan for their town aligned to the issues that research shows people want the most.  

• Improving transport and connections to make travel easier for residents and increase visitor numbers in centres to boost opportunities for small businesses and create jobs.
• Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour to keep residents safe and encourage visitors through better security measures and hotspot policing.
• Enhancing town centres to make high streets more attractive and accessible, including repurposing empty shops for new housing, creating more green spaces, cleaning up streets or running market days.