Approval of £1.5m regeneration funding recommended

Funding for a multi-million pound redevelopment project of land that has been empty for six years has been recommended for approval.

In September, Fenland District Council approved plans for flats and a commercial unit at the empty site in Wisbech's High Street, where two former council-owned, Grade II-listed buildings had been demolished in 2020.

The authority has applied for £1.5m in funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which would contribute to the scheme's estimated £3.3m cost.

Documents published by the combined authority's funding committee state the bid is recommended for approval and is due to be considered at a meeting on Monday.

The approved plans include building six one-bedroom flats and commercial premises.

The scheme is expected to create three full-time equivalent jobs in the town, according to the combined authority.

It also said the scheme "responds directly to identified issues within Wisbech, including declining town centre vitality, underutilised heritage assets and reduced investor confidence".

If approved by the funding committee, the proposal would go before the combined authority board for final approval on 25 November. The funding would come from its Local Growth Fund.

Fenland District Council has also bid for £1.5m in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the remaining costs covered by its own capital funding.

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