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Multi-million pound grant to support regeneration of the town

News Item Details

Date
11.47am, 22 February 2006

Stevenage Borough Council has been successful in its bid to secure millions from the Government to support its plans to regenerate Stevenage .

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that we have been awarded the following from the Growth Areas Fund:

This is a total of £4,800,000.

Work to demolish the existing shops (of which only one is occupied) and the flats in Austen Paths will begin after Easter. New flats plus one shop will then be reinstated.

Executive Councillor for Environment John Gardner said: “We are absolutely delighted with the result. The Government realised that making improvements to the town centre gardens would provide quality green space for people to enjoy, as part of our proposals in the town centre regeneration scheme. Some of the money will be used to develop the pedestrian routes and improve security in the gardens. We will be consulting with people about what they want in the town centre gardens later this spring.”

“We are really pleased that the Government has given us the money for Manulife House. This is a key site in the regeneration of the town centre and vital that it complements our proposals to enhance the area. Until now it has been extremely difficult for the Borough Council to have any real influence over this site, as we don’t own the building. But thanks to this funding we now have the opportunity to buy the site, bring it into public ownership and have direct control over its future.”

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For press enquiries contact Nicola Pellegrini, Corporate Communications on
01438 242167.

For further comment contact Executive Councillor for Environment John Gardner on 01438 729010.

For political comment:

Labour - Bruce Jackson - 01438 350323

Liberal Democrat - Robin Parker - 01438 724746

Conservative - Graham Clark - 01438 360538

Planning and Regeneration