Regeneration Masterplan approval and £20m funding boost for Rawtenstall

Regeneration plans for Rawtenstall have been given the green light after Rossendale Borough Council approved the Rawtenstall Masterplan and accepted the recently allocated Government-funded £20m Long Term Plan for Towns.

The Masterplan projects, relating to the gyratory system, Rawtenstall Market and Rawtenstall Connected, are closely interlinked with other projects in the area being delivered by Lancashire County Council.

These include bus service improvement works in Bacup Road and St Mary’s Way, Valley of Stone Greenway cycle routes, Hall Carr estate and Stage 2 design for Bank Street. Lancashire County Council will consult both online and face-to-face on some of these plans throughout the next few weeks.

Projects to animate Rawtenstall town centre under the Masterplan have been drafted following public consultations and drop-in sessions which were attended by hundreds of residents, retailers, market traders and other commercial and professional businesses.

Themes identified were: Getting around town; linking communities; opportunities for development; and a greener town.

These link closely with the council’s five objectives for Rawtenstall of creating: A welcoming town, re-stitching the town, safe and vibrant streets and spaces, bringing communities together and reconnecting the town with nature.

The £20m Long Term Plan for Towns funding is focused on the core areas of Rawtenstall, Crawshawbooth and Waterfoot and will be spread over a 10-year period subject to the submission of an investment plan which will be formulated by the recently created Town Board.

Funding is to support safety and security, heritage, high streets and regeneration, and transport and connectivity.

Cllr Alyson Barnes, leader of Rossendale Borough Council, said: “The aim is to regenerate towns over the next decade making them places where people and businesses want to invest, creating new jobs and breathing new life into our high streets and town centres.

“It is envisaged that some of the Long Term Plan for Towns funding could support some of the projects identified in the Masterplan, which have been developed following lots of meaningful discussions with the local community.”

Overall authority for decision making on the investment plan will be Rossendale Council’s Cabinet.

Already the council’s Valley Plan identifies a thriving economy and a high quality environment as priorities. This is supported by the Economic Development Strategy which includes town centres, skills and employability as priority areas.

In addition to the vision for Rawtenstall, £300,000 of UK SPF has been allocated to reinvigorating the business environment in Waterfoot. Engagement on the Waterfoot Masterplan will take place throughout the summer.