HYDE is one of 10 towns in the UK to receive a £500,000 boost from the government’s Levelling Up department to bring greenery to its streets.
The area subject of a masterplan to redevelop it, with the most notable suggestion demolishing then rebuilding Clarendon Square Shopping Centre, has been handed the money to revive its high street and entice residents back to the shops.
Market Square will be reconfigured with new high-quality seating, new bike storage units and enriched greenery.
The adjacent park to the high street – Millennium Park – will also be revamped for use by the wider community, with plants added, footpaths resurfaced and new space to support events.
According to the Government: “These changes will create a more welcoming, greener town centre that people want to spend more time in.”
And it has been welcomed by Mark Whylie, chair of Hyde Town Centre High Street Accelerator partnership.
He said: “This is great news for Hyde and will enable the group to continue with the work carried out to date.
“The group, stakeholders and the council working in partnership have achieved a great deal since the group’s inception just a few months ago.
“Hyde is great town with passionate people working hard to make our town a better place to live, work and visit.
“The award of this funding will help further create this environment within the town centre.”
Councils across England will soon also benefit from new rental auction powers to revive empty shops that blight high streets.
High Street Rental Auctions will allow councils to take control of empty properties blighting their high streets and rent them out to businesses that want to use them.
They could also auction off units that have been empty for more than a year with no reserve price, giving local businesses and community groups the opportunity to occupy space on the high street at a competitive market rate.
The £1 million funding comes from the government’s High Street Accelerators pilot programme, which was launched in December.
It is working with 10 local authorities in England to speed up improvements to their high streets, while empowering residents and local businesses to partner with them on a regeneration plan that meets the needs of the community.
Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said: “High streets are the beating heart of our communities and we’re determined to keep them alive and flourishing through our levelling up support.
“Coupled with the new powers we’re giving to councils to rent out persistently empty spaces, our High Street Accelerators programme will make our towns more welcoming and pleasant places for people to enjoy.”
Hilarious, you couldn’t even buy 5 terraced houses for 500k but this is meant to transform Hyde with a few plants here and there?
I believe this is extra awarded funding for adding greenery and is supplemental to the already announced plans, for which there is separate funding.