Town centre is set to get £1.85m facelift
Historic England to pay half the cost of four-year scheme
MORE than £1.85 million is to be spent safeguarding and improving the town centre over the next four years.
A High Street Heritage Action Zone has been set up which is also aimed at helping the area recover from the impact of Covid19.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Historic England have formally launched the town’s action zone.
It is a four-year scheme 50% funded by Historic England.
MORE than £1.85 million is to be spent safeguarding and improving the town centre over the next four years.
A High Street Heritage Action Zone has been set up which is also aimed at helping the area recover from the impact of Covid-19.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Historic England have formally launched the town’s action zone.
It is a four-year scheme 50% funded by Historic England.
The remainder of funding is to come from private and public sources and includes a contribution of approximately £360,000 from the borough council.
The national heritage-led regeneration programme is a flagship initiative designed to secure lasting improvements to historic high streets and the communities who use them.
The Hinckley Town Centre Conservation Area Action Zone has been chosen as one of a number of zones throughout the country that will help to transform historic places.
It will include of array of projects to help safeguard and celebrate the heritage of the town and will play a key role in the economic and social recovery of the town centre following Covid-19.
The scheme, led by the borough council, will see:
■ Improvement in the area around Church Walk car park, Castle Street and the historic jitties and yards
■ The opportunity for historic building owners and occupiers within the retail core of the town centre to apply for generous grants for works of repair and reinstating traditional features, with a particular focus on shop fronts
■ Determining whether vacant buildings and spaces can be redeveloped and improved
■ A range of events and activities to engage people in Hinckley’s heritage and culture.
Historic England will work with the council and other partners, with the aim of using Hinckley’s unique historic environment to revitalise the town centre.
The HSHAZ will involve the local community, Hinckley Business Improvement District (BID), Hinckley and District Museum, Leicestershire County Council, local cultural and educational establishments, history groups in the development and delivery of the finalised plans.
A dedicated project officer has already been recruited to lead the HAZ.
The first tasks this autumn will be to:
■ Ask people to identify the buildings and spaces within the town centre they would like to see developed and improved
■ Request for the local community and others to provide information to help inform the detailed design of the improvements to the historic buildings and spaces
■ Contact historic building owners and occupiers to provide details of the grants available
■ Launch a range of cultural events and activities to engage the community.
Executive member for the HSHAZ, deputy council leader, Cllr David Bill, said: “I am delighted to see the High Street Heritage Action Zone get off the ground.
“We are extremely privileged to have been selected for this scheme by Historic England and I am sure their expertise will help revitalise Hinckley town centre.
“It is extremely timely that we can start work on this project as every town centre across the country has suffered during the pandemic but this project will enable us to help regenerate our town centre and surrounding areas.
“I look forward to working with our key partners over the coming months as we collaborate on a whole range of improvement ideas.”