Council to review plans for multimillion-pound investment
Worcester city councillors are set to approve major plans which could see £19.6m invested in the city.
Next week, the Policy and Resources Committee will review revised proposals recommended by Worcester’s Towns Board. This follows the announcement in June that the city has been offered a £19.6m investment from central Government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund.
The authority said that in common with many of the 101 Towns invited to bid, the allocation is less than the original amount requested (£27.9m) and therefore revised proposals have been developed.
The proposals in Worcester’s Town Investment Plan focus on improving skills, creating jobs and providing opportunities for Worcester’s most deprived communities.
There are also plans to improve access and connectivity within the city and to increase opportunities for active travel.
The plans include:
A second ‘Building Block’ construction skills centre will be created in Dines Green, building on the success of the existing one in the Warndon Community Centre.
The project is expected to help 4,996 residents to gain entry-level NVQ level 1,2 or 3 qualifications within the first five years.
The former Worcester News building on Hylton Road will be converted in to a 4,000 sq m facility to house nursing, physiotherapy and medical training – including an anatomy lab for up to 100 students. The wider site will include a GP practice as well as on-site therapy and rehabilitation clinics.
The project is expected to train 1,500 people per annum and create 100 new jobs.
As part of a plan to regenerate the wider Shrub Hill area, the Town Investment Plan will see construction of 450 homes and the creation of 2,000 sq m of commercial / employment space along the canal.
It will also create a 3,000 sq m enterprise and commercial centre on the current Isaac Maddox House site.
Separately, Worcester City Council has also secured £17.9m from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, which will be used to regenerate the northern end of the city centre around Angel Place, and £3m from the DCMS Cultural Development Fund, for The Arches Worcester scheme, which is regenerating the Victorian railway arches from Foregate Street railway station to The Hive and the River Severn.
“The next five years will see the most significant level of investment in Worcester within living memory,” said Cllr Marc Bayliss, leader of Worcester City Council.
“This Town Investment Plan provides a strong platform from which we can create more jobs and improve the quality of life for local people. Together with our partners, we will work hard to attract additional funding where required, so we can fully deliver on this Plan’s ambitious objectives.”
