The Burton Town Deal Board is pleased to announce that the Towns Fund projects submitted to Government in March have now been fully approved and to the value of funding being requested by the Towns Fund partnership and East Staffordshire Borough Council.
The c.£21.5m funding approved will be spent on a number of projects in and around Burton upon Trent, helping with the regeneration of the local area. Projects currently approved are listed below:
High Street Linkages: £15,726,072
Improvement of the Trent and Mersey Canal Towpath: £1,455,073
Cycle Network Enhancements: £1,364,789
Burton & South Derbyshire College Specialist Education Offer: £2,969,014
The Regional Learning Hub, is no longer progressing due to political and economic uncertainty in the Higher Education sector resulting in Staffordshire University withdrawing from the project. As such, a request is currently being discussed with Government to confirm the reallocation of funding from the Regional Learning Hub project to the other four projects in order to account for inflationary pressures, in line with recent Government advice. This will take the total Towns Fund pot to £23.8m as originally awarded by Government in March 2021.
Ben Robinson MBE, Chair of the Town Deal Board, said: “We are very pleased to announce that the town has been awarded funding for the projects submitted as part of the Burton Towns Fund programme. It’s been a long time coming but to finally have the bid approved means the exciting Towns Fund projects can begin at last, bringing with them a well-deserved boost to Burton upon Trent.”
Kate Kniveton MP said: “I am delighted that the Government has approved Burton’s Town Deal plans which includes enhancements to the Washlands and improving access into the town centre.
“I have previously pledged to deliver high street regeneration for our local towns which is why I worked alongside the Town Deal Board to secure £23.8m from the Government’s Towns Fund for Burton.
“This represents the biggest investment in our town centre for many years and the Government Minister’s signing off the plans is an incredible milestone. This means that we can now look to the delivery stage of these exciting plans for Burton which will revitalise our town centre for future generations to come.”
Cllr George Allen, Leader of the Council, said: “I am happy to say that the Towns Fund will go a very long way in the ongoing regeneration of Burton upon Trent. The funding will be shared across a number of exciting projects accordingly, and will see the Council working closely with local organisations to help make the most of the funding provided. I look forward to seeing the many improvements made across the town as a result of the Towns Fund programme.”
Information on the reallocation of remaining funds will be available in due course, once confirmed by Government.