The Welsh Government have announced that they are extending the Transforming Towns Placemaking Grant for another two years, with a budget of £26 million available to support town centres across Wales.
The aim of the plan is to help renew town centres and high streets in Wales. The grant was launched in 2021 after a number of smaller regenerations grants were merged, making the application process simpler.
According to the Welsh Government the grant supports a wider range of possible interventions such as improving commercial property, ensuring more places to live in town centres and ensuring better quality public spaces. It can also help to make town centres greener or secure leisure facilities such new parks and playgrounds.
The maximum sum that can be awarded for one application has been raised from £250,000 to £300,000. Projects are able to be fulfilled by local authorities or other stakeholders such as town councils, Business Improvement Areas, and institutions and individuals in the third sector. Local authorities are the ones responsible for prioritising and processing applications.
The Welsh Government have drawn attention to several examples of places that the grant has had a positive impact so far and has helped to bring empty property back into daily use.
After the grant investment the old Woolpack in Glynneath is now a home to a coffee shop with four one-bedroom flats upstairs. The Cantebury Arms in Neath has also been redone and there are now three commercial units on the ground floor and four residential flats above. Cyngor Gwynedd used funding from the grant scheme to place information boards in Bangor town centre in order to inform the public and visitors that which Bangor has to offer.
In her speech to the All-Wales Regeneration Conference in February Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant said:
‘By investing in our towns and city centres, we are not only enhancing the physical environment but also fostering economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents.
Bringing empty properties back into active use and breathing new life into our town and city centres are key pillars of our regeneration strategy here in Wales.
The continuation of the grant programme, with increased funding and grant allowances, makes funding for regeneration projects more accessible, enabling us to build on the successes we have already achieved.’
To learn more about the scheme, follow this link.
