Latest news with #shopfronts
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Historic England awards money to boost Bedford shopfronts
Shopfronts in a historical market town are due to be revitalised thanks to £490,000 in England gave the money towards improving the Tavistock Street and Broadway areas of Bedford.A total of £6.5m has already been dished out as part of the project, which aimed to breathe new life into older buildings in the MP Mohammad Yasin said it was a "real vote of confidence in our town's rich heritage". The money will be handed to Bedford Borough Council, which began the High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme in shopfronts have been improved in that period, with money also spent on repaving Silver Street and widening the pavement in High Street."The £490,000 grant from Historic England will allow us to build on the regeneration work already done in the town centre," said Yasin, a Labour Calladine, from Historic England, said the project had been a "remarkable success".He added: "This new phase focusing on Tavistock Street and Broadway is attempting to extend these benefits." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
14-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cumberland Council shopfront grants available once more
More than £100,000 is being made available as a scheme aimed at improving tired shopfronts Council is encouraging property owners to apply for grants to enable work it says "brings pride back" into town centres and high than 100 premises in Cumbria have been upgraded, with 11 vacant units brought back into use as a result of previous funding, according to the Labour-led leader Mark Fryer hailed those efforts as a "great success". Among the shops to have benefited is Maryport's With Love a cafe, the building, on Senhouse Street, had stood empty since the 1980s until Victoria Scott and her sister, Samantha Cartwright, opened their studio earlier this their landlord having received a grant to undertake work to the front, Mrs Scott says she is "super proud" of the way it looks."It's been beautifully done. Several people have told us how stunning it looks," he said. Sean Parnaby, chairman of the Maryport Business Group, welcomed the grant scheme's return and encouraged businesses to apply for it."It's needed in the town. Although the cost of buying a shop here is relatively low, the expense of transforming a front can quickly make bringing the property back into use unviable, so a helping hand from the council is important."Our town centre is also a conservation zone, meaning any work has to be done to the right standard."The money comes from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund and information about how to apply is available on the council's website. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
