Councillors Examine Wrexham’s ‘Vibrant and Viable’ Regeneration Project

The progress of Wrexham Vibrant and Viable Places project which has seen millions of pounds invested in and around the town centre, will be examined by councillors this week.

In January 2014 Wrexham Council were awarded over £10 million in Vibrant and Viable Places (VVP) funding from the Welsh Government.

The funding, which aims to deliver a three year regeneration programme in Wrexham, has been used to support a portfolio of nine projects in both Wrexham town centre and the adjacent Caia Park and Hightown Communities First cluster.

These nine projects are:

– Redefining Wrexham town centre (creation of a Town Centre Masterplan)
– Creative Industries (relocate the existing Oriel Gallery to an alternative location in the Town Centre and to extend the overall arts and culture offer in Wrexham through the development of a cultural centre)
– Empty properties into homes (the conversion of empty residential and commercial properties within the Town Centre and immediate surrounding area to bring them back into use to provide new residential accommodation)
– Affordable Housing / Independent Living (The development of 2 sites to create the provision of older person’s accommodation at Bridge Street and Grosvenor Road for the provision of extra care development.)
– Improvement of standards in the private rental sector (creation of a social lettings agency)
– South West Wrexham housing renewal area (an extension to the existing programme of group repairs of homes, environmental improvements and installation of energy efficient measures)
– Energy Company Obligation (ECO) (invest in properties within the proposed regeneration area to make them more energy efficient through the delivery of improvements such as new heating systems and cavity wall insulation)
– Affordable childcare (capital investment to expand an existing childcare provision through a social enterprise in Caia Park, open a new childcare provision site on Rhosddu Road and also increase crèche facilities available within the town centre)
– Skills/Employability development programme (targeting the local Caia Park and Hightown CF Cluster economically inactive population to access learning opportunities and gain employability skills sought by local employers)

Since being awarded the funding a number of projects have come to fruition or are due to start in the near future.

On Wednesday an update on Wrexham’s performance in relation to the VVP investment will be provided to the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee.

Within the report a performance review on VVP for Period Two (1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016) is listed, noting: “The original profiled spend for year two of the VVP programme was £4,944,200. With the additional funding of £160,000 a total of £5,104,200 was successfully spent and claimed by 31 March 2016.”

Further information on the nine projects listed above are also provided – full listings of which can be viewed in the report here.

Detailing the Year Two Performance Profile, a summary of outputs that have been achieved since the VVP Programme commenced in April 2014 – March 2016.

Such outputs include:

• 389 households were helped to improve the energy performance in their homes
• Town Centre Masterplan has now been adopted and agreed through the Executive Board on 12 April 2016 (HEP/02/2016)
•  A temporary arts space / facility was created within the town
• 4 Modern Apprentices were created and directly worked on VVP Projects

Moving into Period Three, which began in April 2016 and is currently ongoing, the report lists just one project for the next 12 months, which is the development of a Creative Industries and Arts Centre Project (which is / has also been known as the Arts and Cultural Hub, People’s Market & Oriel Wrecsam and OW People’s Market).

The development of the ‘Creative Industries and Arts Centre Project’ in the People’s Market is due to start in early 2017 – with completion for the project currently scheduled for 2018.

In the report reference is made to the additional £500,000 funding Wrexham Council was successful in receiving, which has increased the spending for year three from £4,153,600 to £4,653,600. The project is currently on track to achieve full spend by 31 March 2017.”

It is also noted that in August 2016 that a number of year three potential ‘pipeline projects’ were submitted. Details of such projects are not listed in the report – however we’d image they are enquired about during Wednesday’s meeting.

Seeking VVP 2 funding has been mentioned previously in meetings and mooted in the Town Centre Forum, however Wednesday’s report notes that there is ‘no indication as to when the bidding process for VVP 2 will commence and what the priorities will be.”

The report will go before the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday October 5 at 4pm. The full report and information on the VVP spending can be viewed here.