Final approval sought for cash from town’s £17.5m investment pot

Todmorden Town Deal Board says full business cases for all its Town Deal projects have now been submitted for final approval for funding from the £17.5m allocated to the town’s investment plan.

The eight business cases have been sent to the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

All show how each project should contribute to the vision for a 21st century market town as set out by the Board in the Town Investment Plan.

Key priorities are providing more and higher quality opportunities to improve health and wellbeing, to develop enterprise, learning and skills and to take part in outdoor leisure, arts and cultural activities.

The final five Full Business Cases submitted focus on:

A redesign of Bramsche Square to create an open, flexible town centre space, which will boost customers for local retail, hospitality and trade and host Todmorden’s calendar of events and festivals;

Creation of a new enterprise centre to incubate and support budding entrepreneurs, start-ups, micro and scalable businesses;

The extension of the community-owned Hippodrome Theatre;

Investment into the underused green space and outdoor facility at the Riverside Centre in Walsden;

And improving pedestrian access and signposting to facilitate more active everyday travel.

This follows the three Full Business Cases submitted earlier in September, which focus on improvements to sports, leisure and performance facilities in Centre Vale Park, works to Todmorden Town Hall to create a more accessible, user friendly building for modern day use, and building refurbishments to Todmorden College, Learning Centre and Community Hub.

Pam Warhurst, chair, Todmorden Town Deal Board said: “The projects are shaped by numerous consultations over the years in Todmorden, and those contributions by local communities are evidenced in the positive impact the programme aims to achieve.”

Calderdale Council is the Accountable Body for the community-led Board and for the Todmorden Town Investment Programme as a whole.

Councillor Sarah Courtney, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for towns, engagement and public health, added: “It’s fantastic to reach this major milestone in Todmorden’s planned transformation. The town already has so much to offer, and with the boost provided by the investment proposals, the Town Deal projects look set to drive forward our council priority for thriving towns across Calderdale.”

Following submission of the programme’s Full Business Cases, feedback is anticipated from Government by the end of the year.

Consultation and planning permission processes as required, will follow if and when projects are given final approval.