Town improvement bid secures £6m worth of Government cash

The Future High Street Funding (FHSH) worth £6,085,013 will be combined with other funding to make a total of £14.1m which will be pumped into Northallerton to make a huge difference to the town centre.

101 towns across the UK were selected to submit business cases after an initial bidding process, which saw many towns discounted.

On Boxing Day, the Government announced 72 of the 101 towns were to receive the funding. The successful 72 were selected on the strength of their business case which was measured against strict criteria.

As part of the business case process, HDC was required to outline their aspirations and the level of funding needed to deliver those plans.

Only 15 towns received the full amount of funding they asked for in their business case, and 57 towns, including Northallerton, received 69% of the funding they had requested. 29 of the original 101 towns received no funding.

Receiving less FHSF than requested, means development plans for Northallerton have had to be changed.

After a detailed review, HDC has decided not to put forward the ‘Artizan Yard’ project for now but will continue to work on securing funding for the development of this project.

The FHSF cash will now go towards phase two of the Treadmills development, which will bring a more significant transformation to Northallerton, the development of the town hall square and the town centre living project.

Councillor Mark Robson, leader of Hambleton District Council, said: “This is simply fantastic news for Northallerton and our district on a whole.

“Now more than ever, our high streets and town centres need support in the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, and this cash will help to do just that.

“I’m extremely proud we’ve managed to secure over £6m pounds from the FHSF as the application process was very tough and we faced stiff competition from other towns across the UK.

““My hope is this funding helps keep Northallerton firmly on the map as a destination of choice for shopping, leisure, culture and heritage in North Yorkshire for many years to come.”