​Cash to improve the market chambers building in Radcliffe

Radcliffe’s market chambers building is to have a £64,000 facelift under plans to continue the long-term regeneration of the town centre.

The investment is part of theRadcliffe Shop Front scheme set up to help local independent businesses make improvements to their premises, and will pay for work to the building’s façade and internal space.

Council leader Eamonn O’Brien said: “This is an excellent opportunity to make improvements to a key building in the town centre. In the consultation on our regeneration plans, many residents highlighted that this prominent spot should be better used to help improve the look and feel of Radcliffe. And, while our plans for Radcliffe are long-term, we wanted to quickly deliver on this early priority and help make a clear visual impact for everyone to see and demonstrate our commitment to the town’s regeneration.

“Once we have completed this work, the improved Market Chambers building will help us attract new uses for the space and hopefully give confidence to local residents that we are getting on with what they said they wanted for Radcliffe. I am really pleased we have been able to start delivering on our pledges around this site and look forward to even more progress in the near future.”

The decision was approved by the recently established Radcliffe Regeneration Cabinet Sub-Committee, which was set up following the adoption of the Radcliffe Strategic Regeneration Framework. This sub-committee is focused on delivering key aspects of the plan, monitoring progress and deciding how money set aside for the regeneration plans is spent. The creation of this new sub-committee was another pledge by the council in response to the consultation with residents, many of whom wanted to see more focus on ensuring delivery of the projects.

Outside of this project, six businesses have taken advantage of the shop front scheme and received grants of up to £8,000 to improve their frontages. This was part of a previous regeneration push for the town centre, which delivered £500,000 into improvements in Radcliffe.

Cllr Rhyse Cathcart, deputy cabinet member for Radcliffe Regeneration, welcomed the news of this latest investment saying: “It is excellent to see progress being made on this aspect of the regeneration plans. Despite the current challenges around Covid, we need to keep focused on delivering on these plans. In fact, it is even more important now because they will be crucial to our recovery from the impacts of the virus. I am keen to ensure that we keep residents up to date on the outcomes of the regeneration plans, so the creation of the new sub-committee will help us to do that.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 6 January 2021.