City centre firms encouraged to apply for funding

Crepes and Bubble restaurant have previously benefitted from the funding scheme, the council says

Businesses are being encouraged to tap into city centre grant funding made available to refurbish vacant properties and create jobs.

Hull City Council has relaunched the scheme after it said part of the original £7.5m allocated for city regeneration remained unspent.

The authority said 31 businesses have made use of the funding, including ResQ, which received £750,000 towards its £3m refurbishment of the former Hammonds of Hull building.

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for economic renewal, housing and organisation development, said: "This grant scheme has helped to realise the fantastic potential of our city centre."

The £7.5m came from a £19.5m pot of government funding, awarded in November 2021 to "level up" the city centre.

ResQ now occupies four floors and has welcomed hundreds of new employees as a result.

The council said the grant scheme had helped to bring 19 buildings back into use and restored 14 heritage buildings, as well as occupying 18,399sq m (47,653sq km) of previously unused floor space and supporting close to 900 new jobs across the city.

It said it had also helped to bring almost £13m of private investment to the city.

New applications for the scheme will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will need to be supported by a credible and deliverable business plan.

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