Councils agree deal to improve Wymondham town centre

Plans to improve Wymondham town centre are expected to go ahead after a deal to raise cash for it was agreed

A town has agreed to a deal that would see it get £1m in funding to make its centre more attractive.

The investment for Wymondham will consist of £250,000 from both the town and South Norfolk councils.

Some £500,000 is also expected from the sale of former council offices in Middleton Street, which were owned by South Norfolk Council.

The authority had warned the offer could be taken off the table if an agreement was not reached soon.

Suzanne Nuri-Nixon, Wymondham mayor and council chair, said she felt "backed into a corner", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We simply don't have that amount of money floating around," she said.

South Norfolk Council had already said it would reduce the amount given from the proceeds of the office sale by £100,000 because of the town council's delays.

Michael Rosen, who is both a town and district councillor, said: "We want to be sure we are going to get something worth the money of Wymondham residents.

"We still need to get some more clarity on how this money will be spent.

"But if the town council agrees now, then there's a really good chance of us getting the original amount of money back in the pot."

The town council unanimously voted in favour of allocating money to the improvement project, providing that South Norfolk Council match the £250,000 contribution and re-commit the full proceeds from the sale of the former Middleton Street offices.

John Fuller, leader of South Norfolk Council, said: "I am delighted that they have accepted the proposal and chosen to move forward to work with us, together with the county council, to co-design the improvements.

"It also unlocks the ringfencing of the net proceeds from the sale of the former Middleton Street offices to be spent in the town."