Bolsover District Council to receive £1million to revitalise its high streets

Bolsover District Council has been awarded £1m of Government funding to revitalise its high streets.

The Council is one of 60 local authorities chosen to receive a share of the £125m Derelict Buildings Fund (DBF), to bring derelict high street buildings back into use.

The news follows the launch of the Government’s Hope on the High Streets strategy.

The Government says the DBF is an important part of how it wishes to support local areas to implement the vision of the strategy on the ground.

It will support local authorities like Bolsover District Council to bring prominent long-term vacant and derelict buildings back into productive use.

The DBF intends to help tackle buildings that have become visible symbols of decline, such as shops, pubs, or cinemas, and support their reuse, for example as community facilities, public service hubs, or homes.

The Government says it also wants to see this fund create powerful examples of adaptive reuse that inspire activity across the country and strengthen the capability of local authorities to deliver these kinds of projects.

Councillor Jane Yates, leader of Bolsover District Council, welcomed the news and said: “Like many other areas across the country, our district’s high streets have succumbed to increasing decline.

“Residents and businesses have often seen the heart ripped out of their communities as once-thriving buildings became neglected, empty shells.

“This investment sets us on the path to transforming these spaces, bringing eyesores back into use and revitalising our high streets while helping to address visible decline, strengthen local confidence and support wider regeneration.

“We look forward to working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to use this funding to help unlock important buildings, support the regeneration of our high streets and create renewed opportunities for our local community.”