LEP issues final call for next round of Towns and Local Centre Framework

The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is seeking any final expressions of interest for the next round of its Towns and Local Centres (TLC) framework.

Through the framework, towns and urban centres can request up to £500,000 in revenue funding for projects to enhance locations and lay foundations for future growth.

This can be through masterplans, studies that identify issues around connectivity and accessibility, and action plans to deliver activities to support businesses.

Guidelines have been developed across six categories: streets and spaces; diversity of use, creativity and culture; technology; transport and accessibility; partnerships and structures; and monitoring and evaluation.

The deadline for the return of expressions of interest is 5pm on 17 January 2020.

First launched in March 2019, the Towns and Local Centres Framework has already delivered over £500,000 of funding to support eight projects across the GBSLEP area.

Projects include a connectivity and accessibility study in the Soho Road BID area, a prospectus for Cannock Chase identifying investment and development opportunities, and a study which will update the growth plan for Shirley town centre.

Simon Marks, board director at GBSLEP, said: “The traditional high street has been the lifeblood of many of our towns and cities for generations. However a range of changes – including consumer spending habits and the rise of online retail – have left many of these once thriving areas lacking their former lustre.

“These towns and local centres face a series of challenges as they transition away from a predominantly retail-led economy to provide a more eclectic range of uses, creating social hubs that can support leisure, cultural and residential amenities.

“Our ambition is to create a network of thriving, vibrant town and local centres that all play their part in the sustainable development of the GBSLEP area, sharing between them the myriad growth and development opportunities. Ultimately, targeted and guided regeneration and investment into smaller towns and cities can work in tandem with more established nodes of economic growth and strengthen the offer of Greater Birmingham as a place to live, work and invest.”