Hexham Town Council has been allocated £5 million by the Northumberland County Council in order to redevelop buildings in the town centre, helping with their levelling up efforts.
The funding will come from Northumberland County Council’s capital budget and will be used to redevelop key sites in the town centre. The two councils will work together to decide the specifics of the redevelopments, with the sites including the former Beales building and the former bus station.
Councillor Wojciech Plosszaj, Northumberland County Council Member for Business, said:
“The council does have £5 million allocated in their capital programme for the ongoing regeneration of Hexham town centre, and we will be working with the Town Council to look at the opportunities and solutions for a number of key sites in the town.”
Councillor Penny Grennan added:
“I think this is a really important principle. We know what the people of Hexham want. These sites have been rumbling on for I don’t know how long and it’s not acceptable.”
The regeneration of towns just like Hexham has been a key part of the government’s Levelling Up plans, as it aims to reduce the regional inequalities that are prevalent in the United Kingdom, and this development comes just after the allocation of funding to restore and upgrade a historic pub in the town.
When speaking about the restoration of the pub, Jules Brown, from Historic England, said:
“Grants are available through the council to help reuse and restore historic buildings in the HAS priority area, which help to give Hexham such a strong sense of place and character. It’s great to see the funding being used to bring buildings like The Coach and Horses back to life so they can contribute to the local economy and help the high street recover.”
As local councils begin to move forward with the process of levelling up, more budget allocations and developments will spring up around the country, in order to improve the quality of living in places that have, until now, struggled.
