£21.65m awarded to transform Tamworth high street

Tamworth Borough Council has been awarded £21.65m from the Future High Streets Fund in order to complete the biggest transformation to Tamworth town centre in a generation.

The award, from the Government 's £1billion fund to renew and reshape town centres, will deliver a number of projects designed to create a town centre that meets the needs of residents, shoppers and visitors.

Tamworth is one of 15 towns announced as receiving full funding - the £21.65m is one of the largest amounts awarded - alongside a further 57 areas which have received provisional offers of funding.

Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, Cllr Daniel Cook, said: “What a phenomenal Christmas present! This is amazing news for Tamworth and is a great way to end what has otherwise been a difficult and challenging year.

“Our successful bid will enable us to make long-lasting structural changes which recognise the evolving role of town centres as places for enterprise, leisure and living, as well as retail.

“We put forward three options based on different funding amounts and we 're over the moon that we have been awarded the funds to deliver our 'ideal world ' scenario, which is more than we could have hoped for.

“Together these projects will raise skills and innovation, remove vacant retail floor space, boost the local economy, unlock opportunities for the community and further investment and provide a lasting legacy for the future of the town centre."

Chief Executive of Tamworth Borough Council, Andrew Barratt, said: “This award from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is absolutely fantastic news for the town and represents an amazing opportunity to redevelop and regenerate the town centre in a way that will protect and enhance it for the future.

“The fact we have been awarded such a large amount of money is testament to the hard work that has gone on for many months behind the scenes to prepare the funding bid. I would like to congratulate and thank all those involved in preparing the bid, including the team at Tamworth Borough Council, consultants Aspinall Verdi and the landowners, businesses and other partners, for their hard work and innovative thinking. ”