Work is underway to ensure all four ambitious projects outlined as part of Millom’s multimillion-pound Town Deal proposal can move forward to the next stage in the formal process.
Working with Copeland Borough Council, Millom and Haverigg secured an offer of £20.5 million in June from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative to help ensure it can thrive as a great place to live, work and visit now and into the future.
Now, detailed business plans are to be developed for each of the four projects over the next 12 months as part of the route towards releasing the promised cash.
The four projects are:
- The Iron Line – A proposal to transform the unique coastal lagoon into an inspiring visitor attraction which fuses ecology, heritage and art within an inclusive recreational space around the sea wall.
- Reactivating heritage buildings – A proposal to significantly enhance Millom Town Centre by bringing derelict, vacant and underused heritage buildings back into active use to increase vitality and footfall.
- Activating community health – The creation of a new, multi-purpose community and leisure hub to provide a range of facilities including a swimming pool and 3G pitch, as well as improvements at Millom and Haverigg parks.
- Connected Millom and Haverigg – Improving Millom’s transport network to create a gateway to the town at the railway station, while transforming cycling and walking infrastructure in both Millom and Haverigg.
The mayor of Copeland, Mike Starkie, said: “We were delighted to have received an offer of more than £20 million from the Government for our Town Deal proposal.
“These are four very ambitious and exciting projects which have the potential to unlock a wide range of benefits for our communities for generations to come.
“Securing an offer of the funds we need to deliver these projects was the first step and a huge achievement.
“Now the hard work continues as we move to the next phase of the process which is to develop detailed business cases over the course of the coming ten months.”
Millom and Haverigg were among 101 towns invited to bid for a share of the Towns Fund in 2019 – part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.
The four projects are set out in Millom and Haverigg’s Town Investment Plan. They aim to help maximise inclusive economic growth and better connectivity for the area while developing a welcoming arts, culture and tourism offer, thriving independent businesses and healthy, active people.
The Heads of Terms – an agreement confirming the Government’s financial offer in principle – was signed this summer.
Each business case must now demonstrate the development, cost and scope of each project.
The completed cases will be subject to a rigorous assurance process next year before high level summaries are submitted back to the Government for approval.
Robert Morris-Eyton, chair of Millom Town Deal Board, said: “There’s no doubt this funding represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our communities to create exciting schemes that will generate wide-ranging benefits into the future.
“We are delighted to have secured the offer of funding from Government and we now want to progress all four projects to the next stage.
“Input and engagement from residents, the business community and stakeholders across the area is going to play an important role in this process and we look forward to their continued involvement and support.”
For more information on the Millom Town Deal Board, visit Towns Fund | Copeland Borough Council
