Wiltshire Council grants could help reopen empty shops

Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said he hopes the scheme will "bring some vibrancy back" to the county's high streets

Empty shops could be brought back into use thanks to a new council grants scheme, worth up to £10,000.

The Vibrant Wiltshire grants programme will be available for businesses that bring empty commercial premises back into use in certain town centres.

The eligible areas include Amesbury, Calne, Mere, Ludgershall and Wilton and it gets under way in January.

Council leader Richard Clewer hopes the scheme will "bring some vibrancy back" into the county's high streets.

"I'd encourage anyone to apply. We're looking at at small micro businesses, start ups, people who've perhaps been running a business from their house and have got to the point where they're thinking, I kind of want to try this on the high street now," he said.

Trowbridge is included in one of the targeted areas

Businesses who provide services or offer creative, cultural and community uses on a temporary or permanent basis will be eligible for the grant that ranges from £1,000 to a maximum of £10,000.

Other areas on the list include;

• Bradford on Avon

• Chippenham

• Corsham

• Cricklade

• Devizes

• Downton

• Malmesbury

• Marlborough

• Melksham

• Pewsey

• Royal Wootton Bassett

• Salisbury

• Tidworth

• Tisbury

• Trowbridge

• Warminster

• Westbury

Mr Clewer said while some high streets were "doing very well", any "vacant unit is one vacant unit too many."

On funding, Mr Clewer said money had been put aside from their "own budgets" and said the council are "running a budget surplus this year".

Ruth Lambert, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "These new grants will help to support local businesses to take the leap into new high street premises, which may be a move they could not currently afford alone."