Ipswich Borough Council project to improve shopping parades starts
- Published
The parade of shops at Meredith Road on the Whitton estate is among those eligible for funding
A project to improve a town's shopping parades has got under way.
Ipswich Borough Council said selected rows of shops were eligible for a grant of up to £250,000.
It said 13 locations, including Meredith Road on the Whitton estate and Hawthorn Drive in Chantry, had been identified for the first round of funding.
Independent retail owners were being asked to come forward with their ideas for improvements.
The council said the money had been made available thanks to £2.81m in Town Deal funding, provided as part of the government's investment plan to level up regions.
Queen's Way, off Nacton Road in east Ipswich, is another area eligible for funding
Azzouz El-Mahraoui, chairman of the Local Shopping Parades Task Force, said: "Improving the local shopping parades in Ipswich is a great and also welcome step towards improving the town, especially in the current economic environment.
"I believe that local businesses in the relevant areas will take advantage of this opportunity and create better community and shopping hubs."
The 13 Ipswich shopping parades eligible to bid for some of the first round of funding are:
Cliff Lane
Ellenbrook Green
Felixstowe Road (around Derby Road junction)
Garrick Way
Hawthorn Drive
Meredith Road
Nacton Road (around Benacre Road junction)
Penshurst Road
Queen's Way
Selkirk Road
Ulster Avenue
Wherstead Road/Austin Street
Woodbridge Road (around Cauldwell Hall Road junction)
The council said it was anticipated that at least £1.5m would be allocated across these parades in the first round of funding.
Applicants have been asked to show support from other retailers on their parade and their local councillors.
The closing date for ideas is 19 February.
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