Leader's blog - 20 July 2022
Published: Tuesday, 19 July, 2022
This week's blog has been written by deputy council leader, Catherine Braun.
Investing in communities
"Regeneration in Stroud will be a focus for discussion at the council meeting this Thursday 21st July. We’ll be seeking approval from councillors to purchase the derelict site at Bath Place, Cheapside, at the entrance to the town by the railway station.
This is part of the district council’s Levelling Up Fund bid to government. We’re proposing to purchase the site from Newland Homes to develop it for affordable, low carbon housing. This site will link to the wider regeneration of the area, including the proposed redevelopment and landscaping of the adjacent Wallbridge site. There’s a real opportunity to make this area much greener and more attractive, with improved access to the canal, and better walking and cycling routes. We expect to hear in the autumn whether our bid to the Levelling Up fund has been successful.
Community investment will be further discussed at the council meeting, when we review another bid to Government. Stroud district has been allocated £1.37 million for the next three years, from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This is a new fund which replaces previous European funding. We’re required to submit an Investment Plan to Government in August to explain how we’ll allocate this money according to the three priority areas for the fund of “community and places”, “supporting local businesses” and “people and skills”.
Our focus for this funding is to support local people and communities through the cost of living crisis. We need to decide carefully how to allocate the funds since there are many excellent projects – and we have received bids totalling three times more than the funds available. We also need to consider that most of the funding (£877,000) will not available until 2024. Again we’ll have to wait until the autumn to find out whether our Investment Plan has been approved and then we’ll be able to confirm the successful projects.
The link to the agenda and reports is here."
Cllr Catherine Braun
Deputy Leader, Stroud District Council