Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has today set out how Rhymney town centre will benefit from £500,000 of regeneration funding.
The funding is part of the Welsh Government’s £5 million Town Centre Loan scheme which is also being shared among town centres in Rhyl, Tredegar, Grangetown, Llanelli, Caernarfon and Barry.
The capital funding will be loaned to Caerphilly County Borough Council for up to 15 years to be spent on key regeneration projects in the heart of the town. During this time, the council can recycle and re-invest the funding in different projects which aim to improve the area.
The funding will help commercial property owners in Rhymney to improve empty and underutilised properties to bring them back into use – helping to create jobs in the area.
It will also be used to clean up sites and premises to make them more attractive for private sector investment, reducing the initial financial burden and risk for developers.
Such improvements will encourage economic growth in Rhymney and make it a more diverse, vibrant and attractive place to visit.
Announcing the funding, Lesley Griffiths said: “Town centres play a vital role in community life and this loan funding will help bring about improvements in the areas which need it the most.
“This £5 million will be used by the seven local authorities, including Caerphilly County Borough Council, over the next fifteen years to improve town centres across Wales. By making improvements to Rhymney town centre, we hope to increase visitor numbers and give local businesses and communities a boost.”
The seven local authorities to be supported by the Town Centre Loan scheme are part of the Welsh Government’s Tackling Poverty Fund areas and have been identified as areas with a high level of deprivation and in need of support.
The Town Centre Loan scheme is one of a range of measures the Welsh Government is taking to support Welsh high streets. Earlier this year, the Minister launched the High Street Heroes awards to showcase the vast range of shops and services available on the Welsh high street.
Lesley Griffiths added: “Our High Street Heroes awards recognise the hard work and dedication of people and businesses up and down the country which are providing high-quality services and boosting their local communities.
“We want to celebrate the achievements of local traders which make an outstanding contribution to their town centres. I encourage everybody to vote for their favourites!”
Voting for the High Street Heroes awards is online via the Support Your High Street Facebook page and entries close on 10 August 2015.
A shortlist of Heroes from across Wales will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will select the overall High Street Hero winner, with the winners in the business categories decided by popular vote. The winners will be announced during High Street Week, which is taking place 19-26 September 2015.