Welsh Government announces £15.2m placemaking fund

The Welsh Government has announced a £15.2m ‘placemaking’ funding package to help improve town centres.

The new funding package, available to all of Wales’s local authorities, is designed to be as flexible as possible and will offer support for a wide range of projects, from green infrastructure developments and the creation of active travel routes, to internal and external improvements for business owners.

In addition, the funding will support the improvement of town centre markets, create new uses for vacant buildings, and drive activity to support Welsh Government’s ‘digital towns’ agenda — among other projects to make Wales’s town and city centres thrive.

One lead authority within each region will administer the fund.

Wrexham County Borough Council has been selected for north Wales, Powys County Council for mid-Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taf for south east Wales. Meanwhile, Swansea County Council will be responsible for funding allocations in south west Wales.

Those eligible to apply for funding include local authorities, town centre businesses, business improvement districts and town and community councils.

‘By offering Welsh local authorities the broadest and most flexible package of support through our new placemaking fund, we have enabled our regional partners to decide upon the most appropriate mix of interventions and how to put them into practice effectively in towns across Wales,’ said deputy local government minister, Hannah Blythyn.

‘Together with wider Transforming Towns programme grants, this will help us to re-build our Welsh towns and to realise wider plans set out by Welsh Government — to open up new, local economic opportunities while creating sustainable places for the people of Wales to live, work, learn and enjoy.’

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