Wrexham AM welcomes Transforming Towns funding boost for Wrexham

Wrexham’s Assembly Member has welcomed news that Wrexham will receive a share of £90 million as part of a fund aimed at revitalising town centre.

The Transforming Towns initiative was announced last month and will focus on regenerating empty and dilapidated buildings, helping to bring them back to use. The programme also includes a ‘town centre first’ approach that will concentrate on locating public services in town centres wherever possible in an effort to increase footfall.

Lesley Griffiths AM wrote to the Deputy Minister for Housing & Local Government, Hannah Blythyn AM, for further information as to how the money will be spent locally.

In response the deputy minister outlined further details about the Transforming Towns investment.

The funding is split into different elements and will generally be distributed to local authorities, although private sector partners are eligible for certain aspects of the funding.

The main element is the £36 million grant funding for 2021-22 that will be shared between all regions and ultimately support projects worth a total value of £58 million.

Wrexham has already received a share of current regeneration grant funding, with £750,000 contributing towards the relocation of Techniquest Glyndwr to the former TJ Hughes store.

Grant support of £1.5m has been allocated to enhance as many as 25 properties across Wrexham town centre and a £4.9m grant is also contributing towards the Housing Renewal improvement programme.

In addition, £2.5 million has been allocated to Wrexham as part of the Town Centre Loans fund, aiming to bring vacant and under-utilised buildings back into use in the town centre.

Further details regarding a separate £13.6m enforcement ‘fighting fund’ are in the pipeline and will be available to local authorities in due course.

Lesley Griffiths AM has thanked the deputy minister for her response and said: “Town centres across the UK have experienced challenging times and Wrexham is no exception.”

“The Welsh Labour Government is taking positive action to help address the issues and I am pleased Wrexham will benefit from this much needed boost.”

“This latest investment will be welcomed by all and compliments other Welsh Labour Government-funded projects in the town, such as the construction of Ty Pawb, the Enterprise Hub, the redevelopment of Coleg Cambria’s Yale site and the ongoing work to locate a national football museum in the town.”