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Town Deal

Towns Fund

 

The Government’s Towns Fund aims to drive the sustainable economic regeneration of towns and deliver long-term economic growth through the following key objectives:

Urban regeneration (ensuring towns are thriving places for people to live and work)

  • Increasing density in town centres;
  • Strengthening local economic assets, including local cultural assets;
  • Site acquisition, preparation, remediation, and/or development; and
  • Making full use of planning tools to bring strategic direction and change.

 

Skills and enterprise infrastructure

  • Driving private sector investment and small business development; and
  • Ensuring towns have the space to support skills and small business development.

 

Connectivity

  • Developing local transport schemes that complement regional and national networks; and
  • Supporting the delivery of improved digital connectivity.

 

 

What’s the process?

 

The first stage – to consult and produce an evidence-based Town Investment Plan (TIP) and submit it to Government for assessment – was completed in January 2021. This resulted in a £25 million ‘deal’ being offered to Goole by the Government in June 2021.

Stage two included a ‘Heads of Terms’ agreement negotiated between the Government, the Goole Town Deal Board and East Riding of Yorkshire Council (as the lead/accountable body), setting out how the funding deal will be allocated between the interventions identified in the Town Investment Plan. Work to shape and develop the detail of the projects using a Government-approved, five-stage business case model could then begin.

The Town Investment Plan focused on the main issues that require intervention in Goole. A vision and objectives for Goole’s future are at the heart of the plan, having been agreed through a framework that identifies priority projects. The plan indicates how projects can be synchronised with other interventions and will come together to achieve greater impact and deliver for the very best outcomes for Goole.

The plan tells Goole’s story, explaining how our town has developed over the decades and how it can benefit from the planned investment. It focuses on projects that will have a significant and long-lasting impact on the future prosperity of Goole, helping the local economy to grow. It highlights our town’s distinctiveness and traits, showcases its assets, brings to life the built and natural environments, and evidences our commitment and belief in positive transformation.

The third stage of the process got under way in January 2023, when delivery of the Goole Town Deal programme began. We’re required to complete the projects by March 2026 – what a wonderful way to mark Goole’s bicentenary year!