Rawtenstall regroups after 'Portas town' disappointment

RAWTENSTALL’S bid to be a Portas Pilot town may have been unsuccessful, but campaigners are still optimistic about the town centre’s future.

Nelson was awarded £100,000 by the government’s High Street Innovation Fund announcement last week, the only Lancashire town to benefit.

But a second round of grants are due to be issued in July, and the Rawtenstall Town Team are loooking to tweak their their bid before the June 30 deadline.

Funding is to be used to support rate discounts for new start-up businesses taking on empty properties.

June Worsley, chair of Rossendale Revivial, said the scheme had been a catalyst for Rawtenstall businesses despite so far failing to secure money.

Comments(5)

Pendlesider says...
10:44am Thu 31 May 12

The addition of the supermarket on the hill has forced shops in the nearby town centre to close. Why planners allowed this to happen makes one wonder. It must be extremely difficult to try and 'revive' the town after the impact of developing such a large retail outlet in such close proximity to what was once a thriving Market town.

mavrick says...
11:26am Thu 31 May 12

The portas money is not worth getting excited about it is not enough to do anything meaningful with and it is not enough to use as pump priming money to attract private sector investment. who has ever heard of Mary Portas much before now??
I think this is a political gimmick of the lowest order.

ossybolt says...
12:05pm Thu 31 May 12

When are people going to wake up to the fact that Town centre`s of the 50`s and 60`s are a thing of the past.Out of town shopping,with good parking and bus links are the future.Maybe use the existing old
market buildings as say in Accrington for the very good cooked meat,fish and various cafe outlets.Also they could be used for social events and exhibitions.

AndyD123 says...
12:47pm Thu 31 May 12

ossybolt is right. I doubt that many people would choose to do their weekly shopping between 4 or 5 high street shops ... walking between them laden with bags in the rain before hauling them all back to the carpark. Why do that when everything is under one roof with a convenient car park on its doorstep.

mavrick says...
1:54pm Thu 31 May 12

AndyD123 wrote:
ossybolt is right. I doubt that many people would choose to do their weekly shopping between 4 or 5 high street shops ... walking between them laden with bags in the rain before hauling them all back to the carpark. Why do that when everything is under one roof with a convenient car park on its doorstep.
I have been saying this for years, councillors for some reason seem to think the town centre is the be all and end all. they then price cars out of the towns, people just want somewhere to go in their spare time, And dare I suggest a good Market wins every time.

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