Newton Aycliffe’s ailing town centre could be set for a shot in the arm as part of a Levelling Up bid.
More than £117m worth of schemes that would enhance transport, regeneration, town centres and culture are being developed across County Durham.
And more than £20m of that could be spent on “repurposing” Aycliffe town centre and improvement transport links to the centre from around the town.
It would be a much-needed boost for Aycliffe town centre, which has been starved of investment by its London-based owners in recent years.
Durham County Council is working up provisional bids to the government’s Levelling Up Fund for five of its local parliamentary constituencies, following the previous success of its application to the same funding stream in respect of the sixth.
The council’s cabinet is, on the back of that £20m secured for the Bishop Auckland constituency last year, being asked to support the submission of the five bids, and to the authority contributing £21.4m in match funding.
The meeting, on Wednesday, June 15, will hear how bids to Round 2 of the Levelling Up Fund can include up to three projects, with investment encouraged in three priority areas: transport; regeneration and town centres; and culture.
A report to cabinet sets out the structure of the five bids which if successful would see a combined £117.4m of investment across County Durham.
The bid for the Sedgefield constituency covers Aycliffe. The first scheme proposes repurposing land and buildings within the town centre to provide enhanced flexible amenity space, a public transport interchange, reprovision of surface level car parking and enhanced commercial buildings.
Scheme two involves enhancement of active travels routes across the town linking employment locations, the town’s train station, green spaces, parks and residential areas.
The third scheme proposes enhancing the cultural and wellbeing offer within the town centre and providing a cultural family attraction alongside existing leisure and library services.
Other improvements around the county as part of the Levelling Up bid cover Durham city, Horden in the Easington constituency, Stanley in North Durham and Willington, Crook and Tow Law in North West Durham.
Cabinet will be asked to agree a series of recommendations including that £92m be bid for from the fund for the five schemes, and to note that the authority has already pledged £11.4m in match funding.
Councillors will be recommended to agree to further match funding of £10m-£5m initially and a further £5m should all bids be successful.
Cllr James Rowlandson, the council’s cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, said: “We are really excited to be poised to put in provisional funding bids that would result in more than £117m in investment for communities right across County Durham, on the back of the £20m we have already secured for the Bishop Auckland constituency.
“We are also delighted to be pledging more than £21m from our resources. This is proof of our commitment to investing in regeneration across our communities, and to putting in money to attract external investment.
“The proposals we have drawn up would support transport connectivity, culture, heritage and regeneration in our city, town centres and villages. They would address socio-economic needs, transport barriers and cultural ambitions in each constituency.
“Subject to Cabinet approval, we look forward to putting these bids into government and hope for successful outcomes so that we can deliver these schemes for the benefit of residents and communities.”
