30 towns share £725m to transform disused buildings and public spaces

30 towns in England will share a slice of £725m to boost their local economies, create jobs and help them ‘build back better’

These new Towns Deals range from seaside towns like Hastings and Hartlepool to Bedford and Bishop Auckland.

The funding will help the towns to grow their local economies, while also creating new opportunities to transform their areas.

The deals will breathe new life into neglected areas or unused buildings by creating vibrant spaces for businesses, community events or much needed new homes.

Projects also include renovations to attractions like Hastings Castle helping to boost the cultural and tourism offers of towns.

Sustainability is at the heart of many of the schemes with new greener transport infrastructure including cycle paths and pedestrian walkways that will connect areas in the greenest way possible.

The Town Deals will also create thousands of jobs, with many towns investing in opportunities to improve skills through new vocational training hubs that will support high skilled and higher paid jobs in the area for local people.

The town deals include:

• Hereford is set to use its £22.4m investment to introduce a fleet of electric buses and regenerate the museum, library and art gallery into a unique modern visitor attraction.
• Doncaster will use its £24.8m of investment to upgrade Doncaster Station Gateway and its surroundings by creating greener transport options such as cycle lanes and walking routes. The money will also be used to provide high-quality and attractive commercial space, boosting investment and increasing footfall to the town centre.
• Hastings £24.3m investment includes a new green and Low Carbon Centre of Excellence that will provide new commercial space while also helping the Town seize the opportunities of the emerging green economy. It will also boost the Town’s tourism offer through improvements to the Castle and other public spaces.
• Hartlepool will invest part of their £25m deal in a new Health and Care Academy and a Civil Engineering Institute to boost local skills as part of plans to support more higher-skilled, higher-paid jobs in the local area.

‘Levelling up towns and cities’

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick, said: “We are levelling up towns and cities across the country by building stronger and more resilient local economies, boosting prosperity and opportunity in our communities, and helping them build back better from the pandemic.

“Today I am announcing new town deals in 30 areas, backed by over £725m investment from the Towns Fund. This will support locally-led projects to transform disused buildings and public spaces, deliver new green transport and create new opportunities for people to develop new skills.

“This is a boost for communities and businesses across England.”

The full list of towns includes: