Stratford misses out on Levelling-up money to help fund £15m town centre project
HUGE disappointment was voiced after Stratford was once again left out of the government’s levelling-up funding that was needed to finance plans to revitalise the town centre.
Under the £15 million proposals, Bridge Street, Union Street and High Street would have undergone major redevelopment.
Despite the dismay, however, there was a certain acknowledgement that Stratford’s chances were slim given that there were more than 500 applications for the Round Two funding throughout England and Wales and only just over 100 successful bids.
The Stratford scheme would have included:
- Creating a central walkway on Bridge Street
- Remodelling the Bridge Street/High Street roundabout to include a priority crossing through the centre of the roundabout to connect Henley Street to the central walkway on Bridge Street
- Closing High Street to traffic daily between 11am and 4pm and widening the pavements on both sides of the street
- Narrowing the carriageways on Bridge Street and High Street
- Reducing the amount of on-street parking
The value of the bid to the government was £13.6m towards an overall scheme cost of £15.1m with the remaining 10 per cent to be contributed by Warwickshire County Council or an alternative source.
Sara Aspley, chair of the Stratford Town Centre Strategic Partnership, told the Herald: “It is disappointing not to have been successful in securing levelling-up funding, but we know we were up against many highly competitive bids from all over the country.
“Despite its relative prosperity Stratford-upon-Avon, like many places, has challenges, one of which has been the gradual decline of the town centre. The proposals put forward in the bid would have helped rejuvenate the town centre and enabled it to better meet the needs of our local community and the town’s many visitors.”
Ms Aspley, who is the chief executive of Stratford Town Trust, added: “The partnership remains committed to improving the experience for all in Bridge Street and High Street, and we will continue to look at opportunities for enhancing the town centre.
“We are awaiting further feedback from government on the bid which will inform decisions on whether a funding bid for the Stratford town centre proposals is submitted to the third round of the levelling-up fund.”
Stratford’s Liberal Democrats responded to the failure of the Stratford bid by attacking the levelling-up funding system.
Cllr Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem, Welford), who is also the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate, told the Herald: “Under this Conservative government councils are forced to compete for funding of projects by bidding against other councils, a system that has been widely condemned, including by West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street.
“Preparing project bids is a skilled task and needs resources. The Liberal Democrats on the district council proposed in last year’s council budget that an officer should be recruited specifically for this, so that the council would have ‘oven-ready’ schemes to put forward when new pots of money were announced.
“The proposal was rejected by the Conservatives. Now we see large sums of money being awarded to councils up and down the country but Stratford district has missed out yet again.
“The people of south Warwickshire have been let down, but the Liberal Democrats will ensure that the government’s decision does not mean we are left behind. We will never stop fighting for a fair deal for our community.”
The Lib Dems pointed out that nearby Malvern Hills District Council had been awarded £19.9 million in this round of bids for an outdoor theatre. There was only one award in the Stratford district - a community ownership fund project of £25,000 for Oxhill Village Hall.
