The total amount of investment in Goole as a result of the Goole Town Deal programme is estimated to be in the region of £50 million; double the £25 million in grant funding originally allocated by the Government.

This is because the eight strategic projects delivered through the Town Deal programme have attracted millions of pounds worth of match-funding from multiple partner organisations, including East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Goole Town Council, the Environment Agency and the Football Foundation. Meanwhile, a number of private companies have also found the confidence to invest, either by restoring town centre properties to bring them back to life, reduce their running costs and safeguard existing businesses or establish completely new businesses in Goole. For example,  £2.5 million of Goole Town Deal funding been used to help fund the restoration of 24 town centre buildings through the Property Activation Fund, with match-funding coming from the owners or occupants of the buildings.

In recent months, a series of exciting milestones have been reached, with community groups and grassroots sports teams returning to use the brand new pitch at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds and Brew York now operating the newly-restored Market Hall, which re-opened last week as a community bar, food hall and events venue.

The Opportunity Goole project provided training and employment support and advice to more than 350 local people and over 160 businesses, as well as allocating £364,000 in grant funding towards the cost of securing training, employment and business opportunities. When it ends on 31 March, local people will still be able to access advice and support about education and training, as well as for their businesses, but from alternative sources.  Further details of where to access support can be found on the Opportunity Goole project page.

The continuation of the hugely popular Goole + Howden Hopper bus service has been secured for another year by accessing public transport subsidy funding. Work to secure its long-term future is continuing as part of the broader changes expected for public transport across the East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull City Council local authority areas. More than 5,000 journeys per month are made via the Goole + Howden Hopper, which connects Goole Station with major employment sites on the outskirts of town and with Howden Station. Introduced as a pilot service to test and build demand, it has proved to be one of the runaway success stories of the Goole Town Deal programme. Learnings from the development and delivery of the Hopper service are likely inform the future provision of public transport services across the wider region.

The Public Realm and Station Hub projects, which will enhance the look and feel of the town centre with the intention of attracting continued investment, are well underway, as is East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s project to transform East Riding Leisure Goole into a modern venue with an enhanced leisure offering. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency’s work to reinforce flood defences and provide an enhanced ‘greenway corridor’ for pedestrians and cyclists on the Dutch Riverside is progressing as planned.

With Goole Town Deal entering its final phase, from April 2026 onwards each individual project will assume its own identity and progress its own forward plan of work. This means that future updates on the Market Hall, Victoria Pleasure Grounds and East Riding Leisure Goole projects will be overseen by their respective operators; Brew York, Goole Town Council and East Riding Yorkshire Council. East Riding of Yorkshire Council will also continue to oversee the final stages of delivery of the Public Realm and Property Activation Fund projects, and the Environment Agency will continue to oversee delivery of the Dutch River flood defence and greenway corridor project. During this period, general enquiries can still be made via the Goole Town Deal email address at GooleTownDeal@eastriding.gov.uk, which will be managed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council officers.

Councillor Anne Handley, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Turning these eight strategic projects from an initial concept into a reality has been no mean feat. Overseen by the Goole Town Deal Board, delivery of this mammoth regeneration scheme has involved multiple partners and stakeholders working together and helping to secure millions of pounds of match-funding. Yes, it has faced its challenges but, of the original 101 towns awarded funding in 2021, Goole has stayed true to, and delivered upon, the objectives that the funding was secured for.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has given their time and commitment to get us to this point, as all eight projects edge ever closer to the finishing line, and express my gratitude to our residents and business community for their patience and understanding. Our town is set to reap the rewards of this investment for many years to come. Had Goole not secured this funding, today we’d be seeing a very different town centre to the increasingly vibrant one that we have today.”

Phil Jones, Chair of Goole Town Deal Board, said: “With delivery of some of the Goole Town Deal-funded projects, such as Opportunity Goole and the Market Hall, already complete and others now at an advanced stage, the role of the board is nearing completion. There’s surely no better time for its ambitious plans to come to fruition than during Goole’s 200th birthday year, when a whole host of events and celebrations are taking place.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and honour supporting the delivery of Goole Town Deal over the last five years. I’d like to thank everyone who has played their part in bringing the board’s ambitious vision for Goole, which I’m proud to call my home town, to life. It’s commendable that, through the delivery of the Goole Town Deal programme, the Government’s original £25 million investment in the town has effectively been doubled, thanks to the match-funding secured from partners and private investors. This further enhances the town’s growing reputation as an investment hotspot and suggests that its future is looking very bright indeed.”