Trudy's Whitehaven News column from August 10, 2022:
It is most welcome news that business cases have now been submitted to the Government as the final pieces in the jigsaw to secure over £40 million pounds of investment in Copeland.
This is a significant milestone in the Town Deal process to draw down the earmarked funding of £22.5m for Cleator Moor and £20.6m for Millom for a series of transformational projects in each community.
To have two of our four towns in the Copeland borough receive Towns Fund grants is a phenomenal achievement and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to levelling up; the amounts pledged per capita in Copeland are among the highest in the UK. The grants themselves are just the start however, as they will leverage millions more in match-funding and investment into Copeland.
Each town has four projects, identified by the Town Boards made up of community representatives – and each project ticks so many boxes.
In Cleator Moor, under the ‘Revitalised Town’ project, the money will be used to transform and connect the existing town hall and library into a multi-use community hub, including a café, improved library facilities, youth zone and space for training and community activities.
In the ‘Connected Town’ strand, plans will reduce congestion, enhance the gateways and provide more opportunities for walking and cycling. Seven locations have been earmarked for investment in new or improved paths for cyclists and pedestrians, while three junction improvements are also included.
‘Healthy Town’ features an upgrade of Cleator Moor Activity Centre into a multi-purpose community facility, while ‘Enterprising Town’ will see the redevelopment of the existing Leconfield Industrial Estate to provide employment and training opportunities.
Turning to Millom, the ‘Iron Line’ project will create a unique visitor attraction to include a welcome centre, café/bar, retail space and events room.
Under ‘Activating Community Health’, a new multi-purpose leisure hub will be created, including a community swimming pool and 3G pitch.
The ‘Connecting Millom and Haverigg’ project will see the walking and cycling infrastructure developed, including improvements to three junctions and the railway station.
While under the ‘Reactivating Heritage Buildings’ scheme, an Arts and Enterprise Centre is proposed (including a cafe and exhibition space), as well as improvements to the Market Square (including new cycle stands and EV charging points) and at least four heritage buildings to be refurbished.
Enormous credit goes to the Town Boards, Copeland Borough Council and everyone involved for their hard work, collaboration and ambition to reach this point, and I look forward immensely to the projects soon coming to fruition.
