Rothbury councillor welcomes potential £3million regeneration funding

Rothbury county councillor Steven Bridgett has welcomed the ‘fantastic’ news that the town could get £3million regeneration funding.
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It is one of seven Northumberland towns identified as suitable for investment through the £450million Borderlands Growth Deal.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the town,” said Cllr Bridgett, Rothbury ward member on Northumberland County Council.

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"There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get it to the stage where we could potentially draw down funding but it’s fantastic news.”

Cllr Steven Bridgett.Cllr Steven Bridgett.
Cllr Steven Bridgett.

It has been selected on the back of a ‘Revitalising Rothbury’ feasibility study carried out by YoungsRPS to examine what could be done within the town and help determine what the best way to proceed would be.

The study looked at how Rothbury could develop its economic, heritage and social offerings to support the town, surrounding villages and visitors that use it as a service centre.

"I think Rothbury has a good selection of shops and we have a very low turnover of properties which is the polar opposite of a number of towns and villages across Northumberland and the whole country,” said Cllr Bridgett.

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"But we need to expand out offering. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we need to do more to support local businesses and help make the town centre easier to access for motor vehicles and pedestrians.”

Cllr Bridgett said it was hoped the £3million funding could also act as a lever to draw down further match funding from not just the government but the private and community sectors, potentially making it a deal worth in excess of £10 million.

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Northumberland towns could get up to £3m each for regeneration

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