Latest news with #WelshGovernmentTransformingTowns
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Flintshire Council secures over £500,000 for town centres
Flintshire County Council's Regeneration team has today (June 23) announced that it has secured more than half a million pounds in Welsh Government Transforming Towns funding for the financial year 2025–26. This funding follows the successful completion of Place Making Plans for the town centres of Buckley, Holywell and Shotton, and supports ongoing work in the remaining four priority towns: Connah's Quay, Flint, Mold, and Queensferry. This new investment builds on the £1,147 million of Welsh Government funding already secured in 2023–25, reinforcing the council's commitment to revitalising Flintshire's town centres. As part of this funding, the property development grant scheme, which was a big success in 2023-25, has now reopened to town centre businesses and property owners in Holywell, Buckley, and Shotton. The scheme will provide targeted support for town centre property development projects, helping to bring buildings back into use and create more vibrant and prosperous town centres. TOP STORIES TODAY Councillor Chris Dolphin, cabinet member for economy, environment and climate, said: 'This significant investment from Welsh Government is a testament to the hard work and vision we have for Flintshire's town centres. "Building on the £1.147 million we've already secured from Welsh Government for 2023–25, this new funding means even more support for local businesses and property owners. "By supporting property development in Buckley, Holywell and Shotton, and continuing our plans for Connah's Quay, Flint, Mold, and Queensferry, we're creating town centres that are welcoming, vibrant, and sustainable for the future. "I encourage business and property owners to get in touch and explore the opportunities available.' Town centre business and building owners can contact regeneration@ for more information about property development grants.
Leader Live
30-04-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Ambitious Buckley regeneration plans may struggle for funding
That was one of the findings of a survey by Flintshire County Council as part of its placemaking plans to improve the town. The consultation received responses from 3,561 residents with almost three quarters saying they did not feel positive about Buckley Town Centre. Flintshire County Council's Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee will review the report on Tuesday, May 6 as it considers a proposed strategy to improve Buckley as a place to live, work and visit. The Buckley Placemaking Plan has been compiled by regeneration consultants Chris Jones Studio and Robert Limbrick Architects in partnership with Flintshire County Council. It details a strategic approach to improving and modernising Buckley precinct. This includes reimagining the town centre with covered, outdoor pavilion performance area with seating near Brunswick Road Car Park, increasing pedestrianised areas and transforming the large former discount store on Brunswick Road into a experiential venue with indoor and outdoor activities on offer. The report also suggests broader design codes to improve the look and feel of Buckley Town Centre - and recommends turning Buckley Swimming Baths into a community hub and making the Tivoli a music heritage destination. The plans are built around five place-focused themes - announcing and arriving in the town centre, 'greening' Buckley (planting more trees and natural landscaping), activating the public realm, activity generators and rebuilding the Buckley character and identity. There are also four people-focused themes to the report - local solutions, connected communities, building the Buckley brand and partnership working. Partnership working may be the most important part of the project as the report also warns that there is unlikely to be enough funding to deliver the entire plan. Currently Flintshire's placemaking strategy to revitalise key town centres is funded through the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund and Welsh Government Transforming Towns programmes. To date the authority has received £168,065. This has covered the cost of creating placemaking plans for seven town centres - Holywell, Shotton, Connah's Quay, Queensferry, Flint, Mold and Buckley. "There is expected to be a mismatch between the scale of need identified in the emerging Place Making Plans and the availability of resources to address them," said the report. "The main Welsh Government Transforming Towns capital programme has funded a range of investment activities in town centre across Flintshire in 2024-25 totalling £574,538. "Further Transforming Towns funding is available to local authorities from April 2025 for 2025-26 and 2026-27, with each local authority across north Wales being provisionally allocated £485,000 each per annum for the implementation of regeneration and placemaking projects of up to £300,000 or less. "Strategic Transforming Towns funds are also available for projects with a financial value of over £300,000 via a competitive application process to a national panel. "Welsh Government funding available for North Wales remains small - between £8m-£9m per annum for six counties. However, Welsh Government are eager to see placemaking plans inform and set the context for future town centre investment and may make further funding available. "In addition, £1,664,487 was secured through the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) to deliver the Town Centre Investment Programme between July 2023 and March 2025. This has been fundamental to the placemaking plan development work completed to date. "A further £475,939 is sought through the SPF transition year for 2025-26. The council's regeneration team aim to apply for further funds to support ongoing place making and regeneration activity in 2025-26. "Resources will not allow the council to do everything everywhere. Managing expectations will be key in the process, particularly given that 3,561 local people have already participated in consultation as part of the placemaking plan development process for Buckley. "Interventions that change the form and function of towns may not always be popular locally. Where significant change is proposed then the development of local action plans and masterplans allow for extensive local consultation and discussion of options."
Wales Online
25-04-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Pictures show state of historic listed old Swansea cinema that's set for new future
Take a look inside an historic Swansea former cinema ahead of its planned transformation into apartments and commercial units. The former Castle Cinema, which later operated for generations as Laserzone, before its relocation to the former Iceland unit on St David's Place, is set for another chapter in its history. Old relics of its storied past have been found inside the Grade II listed building, including cinema seats and old movie posters. Plans for the building include 30 new apartments and new commercial units, in a project led by local non-profit Beacon Cymru in partnership with contractors Easyliving Ltd. In the building's main elevation, facing Worcester Place and Swansea Castle, a new commercial unit over two storeys will be created for a café/restaurant type use. And a new glazed box is proposed to overlook the castle and open space. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here . Intended to accommodate small-scale office use, other new commercial units will include the lower part of the building that fronts on to the Strand. Swansea Council has supported Laserzone by granting the business a temporary lease for the unit, pending the regeneration of the overall former St David's shopping centre site in the longer-term. The council is also supporting the Castle Cinema building project via Welsh Government Transforming Towns funding. Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart recently visited the building with cabinet member Cyril Anderson. Mr Stewart said: "Many local people will have fond memories of time spent in the former Castle Cinema building. I can remember watching Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home there in the 1980s, and I also visited in the 1990s to play Laserzone. "The building is a Swansea landmark and this exciting scheme led by Beacon Cymru and Easyliving Ltd means it's set for a new lease of life. The project will also complement our plans to transform Castle Square into a greener, more welcoming space in a further boost for the city centre." And Beacon Cymru deputy chief executive, Luke Takeuchi, said: "We're hugely excited about the Castle Cinema building project. It's a great example of collaborative working for a scheme that will make the area more vibrant, while also helping tackle the housing crisis by providing a mix of one and two-bed apartments." And operations manager at Easyliving Ltd, Stephanie Hughes, added: "We're looking to start on site in the coming weeks and expect the project to take about 27 months to complete. "It's a really positive time for Swansea city centre with so much regeneration happening, so we're delighted to be part of its ongoing transformation."
