WARRINGTON Borough Council is set to bid for a share of £1 million worth of Government funding to help build on recent success in the town centre which saw an additional 30,000 visitors in the run up to Christmas.
Warrington is bidding to become one of the first ‘Portas Pilots’ and in turn access a share of the funding pot to improve town centres.
The council has confirmed its plans to work with a range of partners to submit a strong case, showcasing some of the improvements already underway and highlighting the exciting regeneration plans it has in place for the borough. It hopes to be one of 12 successful bids.
Warrington town centre footfall has seen a 5.5% increase since 2010, compared to a national increase of just 0.8%, while town centre footfall at the Christmas Lights Switch On saw an increase of 11.2%.
Cllr Mike Hannon, (pictured) deputy leader of the council with special responsibility for breathing new life into Warrington’s town centre, said: “We made the town centre one of our top priorities and our programme of quick wins has already started to bear fruit with lots more to do and see in the town.
“It’s been good to see people voting with their feet – Warrington is bucking the national trend by getting more shoppers and visitors into its town centre.
“But we have ambitious plans to do more, and being one of the first Portas Pilots would undoubtedly help to kickstart some of those activities. With the success of
attracting 30,000 new visitors to the town over the last six months, and with an exciting events programme to take us right through to 2012 and beyond to the Rugby League World Cup of 2013, we believe we’re strongly placed to be one of the Portas Pilots and have already set up a creative bid team to help us make our case. This is something that businesses, retailers and residents alike can get behind, to help us make Warrington a vibrant, thriving town once again.”
3 Comments
Let’s hope you lay your hands on as much of that £1 million as possible.
Will Councillor Hannon let us peasents know which partners or even what sort of partners or is it a state secret like Fordton Leisure Centre?
Although it’s obviously a good thing that amore people are using the town centre, I think it would be good to know what exactly is meant by the town centre in these figures. If it means ‘Golden Square’ there is still an issue. Can anybody clarify this?