Deeside: Details revealed on how £6m of regeneration funding is going to be spent.
Outline plans that will see £6m spent in Deeside on regeneration projects have been revealed today by Carl Sargeant, the Minister for Housing and Regeneration.
The funding is part of the Welsh Governments Vibrant and Viable Places regeneration scheme which has seen £36m of money awarded to projects across north Wales.
The £6m was awarded to Flintshire County Council in January, on the back of a bid centred around transport improvements, housing investment, town centre regeneration and action to support business growth and skills, the Welsh Government funds will be supported by public and private investment.
The projects which will receive Vibrant and Viable Places funding include:
Improving the appearance of Deeside’s town centres
Unsightly areas will be transformed by planting. The project will involve the local community and businesses and the work will be carried out by young people recruited through Jobs Growth Wales. The scheme, which is funded by the WelshGovernment, gives unemployed young people aged 16-24 a job opportunity for a six months, paid at national minimum wage.
Living above the Shop
The Vibrant and Viable Places funding will help turn the unused, empty rooms above shops into high quality, affordable, town centre housing. The new homes will be one or two bedroom flats to help people affected by the bedroom tax.
Bringing Vibrancy Back to the High Street
The Vibrant and Viable Places funding will be used to improve the appearance of shops in the town centre and encourage businesses to invest through a grant scheme.
Access to free WiFi
WiFi access is an important selling point for town centres and also gives local residents access to the internet. This project will look at the feasibility of developing this service including costs and infrastructure. This project will complement the WelshGovernment’s roll out of Superfast Broadband in Deeside.
Promoting Deeside as a place to live and work
A legacy fund will be created offering grants and loans to help home owners properly repair and look after their homes in the Garden City area. Some properties will be grouped together for repairs but there will also be support for work on individual properties where there is a need.
There will also be tree and hedge planting to make the area greener and more attractive. The aim of the project to is make sure that the new and existing communities are fully integrated when the new Northern Gateway development is complete.
Welsh Housing Quality Standard+
The project will achieve significant enhancement of the social housing stock to add to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard programme and to promote both physical and community regeneration in the area. The project has three strands including energy efficiency, environmental enhancements and remodelling of low demand housing.
Monitoring and Evaluation
A small annual budget will be used to monitor all the projects, including an independent evaluation of their success.
Mr Sargeant said:“I’m delighted with the range of excellent projects which we will be supporting through this scheme. This Welsh Government funding will see a number of exciting developments and improvements made across North Wales, whilst at the same time creating hundreds of jobs and helping to provide for the community.“I’ve made no secret of my priority of providing more good quality homes across Wales and so it will come as no surprise that many of the proposed regeneration projects have this at their heart.“There are projects targeted at renovating empty properties and bringing them back into use, attracting more people to live in town centres and improving the quality and energy efficiency of homes and businesses, for example.“But I’ve also approved significant funding for a wide range of different projects, including further development at Colwyn Bay Waterfront, a Creative Industries and Arts Centre Development in Wrexham, improvements to the appearance of Deeside town centre and the regeneration of the Market Hall in Anglesey.”“Amongst the plans for Deeside is improving the appearance of shop units in the town centre and encouraging business investment through a grant scheme. The proposed project will also purchase vacant properties and sites for future business use and for redevelopment.
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