Great Yarmouth, Huddersfield and Leicester are among 68 towns and cities which will benefit from a £95 million Government-funded scheme. The High Streets Heritage Action Zone Programme, delivered by Historic England, will see disused and dilapidated buildings turned into homes, shops, workplaces and community spaces. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said today: “High streets sit at the heart of our communities and every part of the country deserves to have one they can be proud of.
“This fund will help breathe new life into high streets in towns and cities across the country – restoring them to their full glory.”
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “Whether it’s a medieval market town, or a post-war city centre, every high street in England has a distinctive history that can be harnessed to help it achieve a prosperous future. Investing in heritage delivers good results for people – it means looking after and celebrating the places at the heart of our communities, and the buildings and public spaces which define their character.
“This investment will unlock the potential of these precious high streets and help them thrive again.”
Retail sales have continued to increase for the fourth month running, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Spending on household goods and DIY boosted August sales volumes by 0.8 percent compared with July.
Overall there has been a four percent increase in sales compared with February, before the UK went into full lockdown. Online sales fell 2.5 percent in August, compared with the previous month but online sales were still 46.8 percent higher than in February.
Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The recovery remains a mixed bag, with high growth in online sales, while city centre shops suffered from low footfall.”
Comment by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden
Our high streets are the heart of cities and towns – giving the people who live there a real sense of identity and pride in their local communities.
Full of historic landmarks, they are more than just the places where we go to eat and shop, to work and gather with friends and family.
Now, we’re stepping in to help restore dozens of them to their full glory. From today, the Government is investing £95million in 68 high streets across England to give these community hubs a new lease of life.
Stretching from Plymouth to Hexham, these high streets will use the money to transform and restore disused and dilapidated buildings into new homes, shops, workplaces and community spaces.
This is partly about protecting our shared history. Almost half of retail buildings were built before 1919.
Most importantly, it’s about making sure people have a high street they can be proud of.
The Government has been here for culture throughout the pandemic, doing everything we can to ensure our most beloved galleries, theatres, heritage sites, museums and music venues weather the storm. This isn’t just about the big names in London; it’s about the small sites that matter to all of us, wherever we live.
