A new £62 million fund will breathe new life into historic high streets across the country, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced on 18 May.
High streets lie at the heart of communities but are under increasing pressure as more people choose to shop online.
Building on successful programmes, the funding will be used to regenerate places by turning disused or underused buildings into creative spaces, offices, retail outlets and housing.
It is part of the Government’s ongoing work to help high streets adapt to changing consumer habits.
The funding includes:
- £44 million of government and Historic England funding to create dozens of High Streets Heritage Action Zones overseen by Historic England.
- £3 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund [Alliance member] to support a cultural programme to engage people in the life and history of their high streets.
- £15 million for the Architectural Heritage Fund [Alliance member] to support social enterprise organisations like Historic Coventry Trust to take ownership of and bring buildings of local importance – such as pubs, libraries or theatres, as well as shops – back into use. The Transforming Places Through Heritage Programme will open for applications in June.
Also in the run up to UK City of Culture 2021, Coventry will receive £2 million for a new project in shopping street The Burges. It is one of the few remaining parts of Coventry to survive the Second World War and post-war redevelopments of the city, which saw large numbers of ancient buildings destroyed. The money will be used to acquire, restore and regenerate Coventry’s historic buildings to help create a sustainable future for each building.
Read the full press release here.