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10 November 2011 03:22
Property
Heritage cash available for Boston town centre
Cash will be available to eligible property owners when a £650,000 scheme to help with the cost of restoration and repair in Boston town centre is launched on Thursday 1st December.
Owners of eligible properties can make applications now, and do not have to wait until the official launch.
And they are being urged to get in quick – the money is limited and will be allocated on a first come-first served basis.
Details of the scheme will be on display at Boston Guildhall for anyone to see from 4pm to 6pm on December 1 and officers from Boston Borough Council will be available to offer advice on how to apply for a grant.
Owners and tenants of eligible properties are also invited to the official launch of the scheme which will begin at 6.30pm and will be attended by Boston’s Deputy Mayor, Cllr Maureen Dennis, and leader of the council, Cllr Peter Bedford.
Invited guests will also hear from English Heritage how historically important Boston is and why investment in the town is needed to enhance its architecture and make it an attractive and vibrant place to live, work and visit.
English Heritage approved Boston Borough Council’s Partnerships in Conservation Areas application for grant funding and significant investment will be made to a five-year scheme, with match funding from Boston Borough Council. The total offered will depend upon the success of the scheme and the council is keen to maximise investment brought into the town. English Heritage has confirmed £120,000 for the first year of the scheme.
Liz Bates, Conservation Project Officer, said: “Property owners can get in touch with me now to gain advice about work that will be eligible for a grant and we can discuss opportunities to improve the condition and quality of their properties.
“I urge them not to delay – the money is limited and when it’s gone, it’s gone.”
The scheme will initially target properties in the Market Place and Wormgate, and owners in those areas are welcome to talk to Liz for more details and fix appointments now.
Contact her on 01205 314339 or email liz.bates@boston.gov.uk
Eligible properties are in the area which includes the historic Market Place and the historic feeder lanes and streets which focus onto this central space.
These include shop fronts and the floors above them, some of which have been insensitively altered and developed. Some are in disrepair, or have been neglected and are underused.
The majority of the eligible buildings are either listed or sensitive. The availability of grants for the renovation of the historic buildings and, where appropriate, restoration of missing features, will be of great benefit to the area and assist in its revitalisation.
This Partnership Scheme will go hand-in-hand with the enhancement of the Market Place and increase the potential for improvement of the historic town centre. The initial phase will focus on commercial properties in the Market Place and its immediate area.
The grant system will be kept as simple as possible and will be on the basis of a straight 50 per cent of eligible costs for repairs and 90 per cent for reinstatements.
Reoccupation of the upper floors, and reinstatement of some of the better-quality shop fronts and traditional window forms are all needed to make the place attractive and vibrant again.
Steve Lumb, the council’s head of planning and strategy, said: “Improved and more appropriate and attractive shop fronts and signage, ones which clearly identify Boston can increase trade, as experience in other partnership schemes has demonstrated.
“A grant scheme for repairs and reinstatement, in tandem with the Market Place improvements, is expected to provide a positive benefit to the town and should assist in the regeneration of this important market town centre.”
Eligible buildings will be located in Bridge Street, Church Close, Church Street, Cornhill Lane, Customhouse Lane, Dolphin Lane, Emery Lane, Grants Lane, High Street, Main Ridge West, Market Place, New Street, Petticoat Lane, Pump Square, Red Lion Street, Sibsey Lane, South Street, Spain Court, Still Lane, Strait Bargate, West Street and Wormgate.
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