Kirkham invites bids for regeneration funds

To kick-start Kirkham's £10m regeneration plan, the town is making funds available for shopkeepers and landlords to cover the costs of renovations.

Grants covering up to 90 per cent of the design and build costs of external refurbishment and improvement work are now available through Fylde Borough Council's Shop Front Improvement Scheme.

Funds can be used to reinstate historic features – including timber sash windows, slate roofs, timber shop fronts, brickwork pointing and guttering – and also to create residential use of upper floors.

More than 20 property owners in Kirkham’s central Conservation Area signed following the town's successful £3.6m bid to become designated as a High Street Heritage Action Zone by Historic England.

Now, following the approval of a further £6.3m funding through the government’s Future High Street Fund, the scheme is being rolled out to include the whole of the town centre.

Andrew Chatterjee, Fylde Council’s HS HAZ programme manager, said: "Kirkham has an historic town centre, many of the shop buildings are more than 100 years old, but some properties have been unsympathetically altered over time.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to restore the town’s high street to its former glory and for business owners to not only improve their own properties, but really make a real difference to the town centre as a whole.

"However, there is a limited budget for this so we would advise property owners to register now for the best chance of receiving a grant."

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