Success for town centre regeneration bid

Date Added - 13/11/09

A bid for funding to help revitalise town centres in Moray has been successful second time around.

The Scottish Government announced today that it was awarding a total of £670,000 for town centre projects in Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth and Buckie.

The money will come from the government’s town centre regeneration fund set up to make town centres more attractive to shoppers and to help boost the local economy.

An initial bid to the fund on behalf of Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth, Buckie and Keith was unsuccessful earlier this year. Keith opted to go it alone in the second tranche of applications which were submitted in August.

The total cost of the regeneration projects for the four towns is £954,000, with the balance coming from Moray Council, the Moray Towns Partnership and local businesses.

Projects include environmental improvements, shopfront upgrades, new signage and street furniture and the installation of electronic information points and information boards. A machine capable of removing chewing gum will also be purchased.

The funding application was supported by information which outlined how the proposals would help to retain and attract visitors, provide better facilities for businesses and visitors, improve accessibility and infrastructure, help the local economy and generally make town centres more attractive.

Councillor John Russell, chairman of Moray Council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee, said he was delighted that the application to the town centre regeneration fund had been approved in its entirety.

“This funding from the government will make a huge difference to these four town centres by making them much more attractive and appealing to local people and visitors alike.

“Increasing footfall within our town centres is vital for the wellbeing of shops and other businesses and I am confident that the improvements we will see put in place over the coming months will encourage shoppers to spend more time and money in their own local towns.”