A Heritage lottery grant, which has seen traditional town centre shop fronts restored to their former glory, has been extended to allow more premises to benefit.
So far, work carried out as part of the Wellingborough Townscape Heritage Initiative has been carried out at premises in Market Street, Silver Street and Park Road including the refurbishment of walls and roofs, the redesigning of shop fronts to provide more traditional hand painted signs, and the replacement of windows and doors. Repairs have also been carried out to the historic Hind Hotel.
Now properties in Oxford Street, Broad Green and parts of London Road qualify for grant funding after an extension to the boundaries eligible to apply for funding was approved by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The five-year
Heritage Lottery funded Wellingborough Townscape Heritage Initiative was launched in 2012 with the following key objectives:
- save historically important buildings that are at risk of rot and decline.
- regenerate the town centre and provide a more attractive environment with heritage at its core.
- help local businesses improve the aesthetic value of their business and the historic fabric of their buildings.
- attract investment into the town by reducing the decline of its heritage properties.
- bring empty shop space, back into use.
Speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph, chairman of Wellingborough Council’s development committee, Cllr Jon-Paul Carr, said: “This scheme is vastly improving the appearance of our historic shop fronts and facades in the town centre and achieving its aim to enhance, restore and showcase their period character.
“Some hidden treasures have been discovered during the works on Park Road and as the project continues, it’s likely we’ll see more of our town’s heritage uncovered.
“The restoration of these shops will benefit traders, customers and the entire community, as the whole area improves in appearance and our heritage is protected for future generations to explore and enjoy.”
For more information, including grant eligibility criteria visit: http://www.wellingborough.gov.uk/thi or call the council on 01933 231918.