£8.6million boost to transform Heanor town centre provides 'real optimism for the future'

Heanor town centre is set to receive millions in funding.

A total of £8,592,837 from the Government's Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) has been allocated to Amber Valley Borough Council to give the town a new lease of life.

The FHSF is a £830 million Government fund to help regenerate town centres across the country as attractive places to live and work and respond to the shrinking demand for retail space.

Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, councillor Chris Emmas-Williams, said the money could help provide enough change to secure the town’s long-term future.

He said: "At a time when we desperately need something positive, this is fantastic news for Heanor and provides us with real optimism for the future of the town.

"It’s thanks to the hard work and creativity of council officers and our partners that we have been able to secure this funding.

"We are looking forward to being able to publish details of how this will be spent in the near future and then starting work on this exciting new era for Heanor town centre."

The council could only put one town forward and, in order to qualify, the area needed to have a higher rate of vacant property and town centre decline than the national average.

Heanor was identified as the Amber Valley town that demonstrated the highest need and potential to make a transformational change to secure its long-term future.

Property regeneration consultancy AspinallVerdi played a major role in securing the funds for Heanor.

Working closely with a professional team and colleagues from the council, AspinallVerdi assisted with projects to transform Heanor town centre and also played a key role in the financial modelling and preparation of the business case.

Ben Aspinall, managing director of AspinallVerdi, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the hard and collaborative work of our consultant partners, great local authority teams and passionate communities pay off by achieving successful bids from the Government's Future High Streets Fund.

"As a specialist property regeneration practice, we are passionate about achieving sustainable economic development of our towns and cities, so this funding is great news for these town centres as they look to redefine themselves to meet the needs of a post-pandemic world.”

A total of 72 areas across the country were announced as having been given funding on Saturday, December 26.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick spoke after the announcement of where the £830million would be going.

He said: "The year ahead will be a big one for the high street as it seeks to recover, adapt and evolve as a result of the pandemic.

“The role of high street has always evolved. We want to support that change and make sure that they are the beating heart of their local community – with high quality housing and leisure in addition to shops and restaurants.

"This investment will help us build back better and make town centres a more attractive place to live.”