DENTON has been given the go ahead to access all of the almost £17 million it was allocated by the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The change of administration at Parliament after the general election meant only an initial part was released for spending.
Now ministers have told the town’s MP, Andrew Gwynne, the whole lot can now be spent by Tameside Council.
The Correspondent told of a scheme that would see £2 million going towards improvements to Festival Hall to enable relocation of further council services and creation of a ‘neighbourhood hub.’
A further £1 million would go towards improving Denton Town Hall so it can be used more in future.
Denton secured £16,764,793 – meaning those projects, plus significant improvements to the public realm around the town centre and Victoria Park – can go ahead as part of the Destination Denton package.
It hopes to breathe new life into the town centre and will also see the Pennine Lounge refurbished for community use, as well as bring forward new residential opportunities.
It is also hoped this money can be utilised to help leverage in additional funding from Historic England, Sport England, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and other pots.
And the formal confirmation, which came on Wednesday, July 30, delighted the politician.
Mr Gwynne, officially an independent as he remains suspended from the Labour Party, said “This is great news.
“£17 million for Denton town centre is significant and the confirmation makes all my lobbying of ministers worthwhile.
“Denton has a lot going for it and we are already seeing entrepreneurs already investing in the town with developments like the rooftop expansion at Vault 2, the Hatters Square food hall as well as great existing food and drink offers like Ornella’s, Cafe Plus, Istanbul Grill and many more.
“I really hope Tameside makes maximum use of the LUF money for the town and uses it as seed funding to bring even more cash into Denton.
“I’ll be working closely with Denton’s councillors, Tameside officers and central government officials to make sure this is a success.
“Our time has come!”