Independent shops supported with £128K funding

A fund of £128,000 has been created to support independent and small shops in Crawley, West Sussex

A fund of £128,000 has been created to support independent and small shops in a town in West Sussex.

Eligible businesses in Crawley will be able to bid for grants of up to £5,000 towards visual improvements to their frontages or physical improvements to frontline business operations.

Work could include minor building works, lighting and decoration, or point of sale upgrades.

Crawley Borough Council leader Michael Jones said he hoped the scheme would help encourage greater footfall.

Up to four adjoining businesses can make a joint bid for a maximum of £20,000 as part of the Shop Front and High Street Improvement Programme.

It will also include opportunities to deliver small scale physical improvements to The Broadway, Broadwalk and High Street.

Mr Jones said: “One aim of the programme is to support the independent retail sector to make important investment in their premises in a difficult trading environment.

“Across Crawley, we hope the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 will give businesses from our highly valued independent retail sector the chance to make improvements which they might not have had the funds or confidence to make before now.”

The fund is made up of £70,000 from the government to improve high streets and £58,000 from Crawley’s share of the West Sussex Business Rates Pool.

It replaces the council’s Retail Improvement Grant Scheme.

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