Shropshire Star

£1 million fund to help revamp Telford buildings

Nearly £1 million will be spent helping to regenerate community buildings and facilities across Telford to mark the 50th anniversary of the borough becoming a new town.

Published
Money is being made available to revamp buildings in Telford

The £2m Telford 50 Legacy Fund will support a mix of physical schemes, as well as other projects that help tackle some important social issues in the borough and reduce demand on council services.

The council has announced the first two schemes for the Telford 50 Legacy Fund.

It will make £990,000 available to refurbish, purchase or adapt community buildings and facilities.

Community groups and organisations will be asked to come forward with proposals for the fund to support.

With match funding, the total value of this part of the Telford 50 Legacy Fund could total at least £1.225 million.

The first scheme is worth £750,000 – with £150,000 available for each of the borough’s five main towns and population centres – Dawley, Madeley, Newport, Oakengates and Wellington.

Telford & Wrekin Council leader, Shaun Davies, is asking each town council to come forward with proposals of facilities that could benefit most from the grant.

Any projects will need to meet a number of criteria, find at least 25 per cent match funding and, if approved by Telford and Wrekin and the town councils, it is expected that work on these will be completed by March 2019.

Buildings and facilities that can benefit from this funding must have open community access and support the other themes of the Telford 50 Legacy Fund.

The second scheme is a £240,000 “small grant” fund that will be available for community buildings’ regeneration anywhere in the borough.

This will award grants of up to £20,000.