A £15.9m cash boost will focus on empty shops in Scunthorpe town centre.
It was announced on Monday, November 20, the third round of Levelling Up Funding cash. While Barton got £19.7m last time, £15.9m has been awarded for “Scunthorpe Town Centre Vibrancy”.
North Lincolnshire Council leader Conservative Cllr Rob Waltham has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) addressing the town’s empty shopping units was the basis for the LUF bid made. This will involve the conversion of units into homes and breaking up larger units into smaller spaces to help promote independent business.
Read More:
Labour opposition group councillors were cautious in reaction to the £15.9m cash announcement, and called for the public to be consulted on how the cash will be spent. Cllr Waltham has said the issue of empty shops in the town centre has been a constant feedback from previous consultations.
“We know the biggest challenge we’ve got in the High Street,” said Cllr Waltham, when asked what the £15.9m will be spent on. “We’ve got empty units that need to be repurposed.” The cash would be used to turn some into housing, and split others up into smaller units.
“It’s going to tackle vacant units, create a positive use in the form of small units for independent businesses in a whole range of sectors.” The housing would be “sustainable” and he hoped a chunk of it will be specifically targeted at older people, and young adults.
“Residents always tell me we have got too many big shops that are vacant still that are not going to find a market” because of changing shopping habits, including the internet, Cllr Waltham added. The £15.9m cash is for Scunthorpe only, and will be mostly in the town centre curtilage.
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
Labour investment calls
In reaction to learning of the empty units focus, Labour group leader Cllr Len Foster said: “It’s obviously the right direction, but it’s the detail of it. There are some very large units vacant in the High Street,” he added.
Near £16m sounded a lot, but it was “difficult to know” if it would be able to cover all of the large empty units. He added that conversion to housing needed a partnership with a social housing provider of merit to bring forward funds needed.
When speaking to the LDRS earlier in the week, with Town Ward Cllrs Lorraine Yeadon and Mashook Ali, Cllr Foster argued there had been little consultation so far with previous Scunthorpe investments. The Town Ward councillors expressed frustration at not being consulted on the LUF bid for ideas on what to seek investment for in the town centre.
“Without taking residents and businesses with us, I don’t see any long term gain,” said Cllr Foster of the cash the council had been awarded. “The money they had in the past hasn’t increased the footfall in Scunthorpe High Street and the High Street has continued to deteriorate.”
“We think the town centre has got some good things, but they need to be improved,” said Cllr Yeadon, who highlighted empty units, including the former Oldrid’s store. “The small ones particularly lend themselves to accommodation,” she said. “It would create a better atmosphere if you had a mix of accommodation and shops together.”
What shops would you like to see on Scunthorpe’s high street? Take part in our poll below, or click here
Cllr Ali wanted a greater focus on activities and events in Scunthorpe. “In the past we used to have many cultural activities in the town centre.” Cllr Yeadon added: “Specifically, we’ve been told on numerous occasions that people born in Scunthorpe but with different ancestry don’t feel part of the community, and that really bothers me.”
“No child wants to go into crime, but they’ve got nothing to do, nobody’s offering them activities and then they fall into the wrong hands,” Cllr Ali said.
Frodingham Road support was also mentioned, with Cllr Yeadon describing the area as “very vibrant” but needing investment. Cllr Yeadon also cited Central Community Centre, and suggested cash could go to funding a refurbishment there, making it powered by renewables. “The heating system is absolutely ancient and very expensive to run.”
Cllr Waltham indicated a plan for the community centre, to be unveiled in a matter of weeks. On town centre events, he argued the council was already doing that, citing the family fun day in September with a whale, and the upcoming lights switch-on. “We’ve got stuff going on up and down the High Street all the time,” he said.
He did not indicate there would be public consultation on how the £15.9 cash will be used going forwards, suggesting previous consultations already highlighted the need for an empty units focus. “We’re literally constantly consulting,” he said.
Want to sign up to the Scunthorpe newsletter, but can’t access the link below? Click here .
“Fundamentally, I’ll get the same answer, they are our underlying challenges to the town centre,” of tackling the empty shops, Cllr Waltham said. As for the criticism of not consulting the ward councillors, he said every time Labour ward councillors invited him to attend an event on their ward, he did.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
