Bury latest to join Levelling Up Fund scrum
A £40m bid aimed at creating a new civic hub in Radcliffe and upgrading Bury Market has been lodged by the council.
The £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund was announced at the Budget in March and councils can submit one bid of up to £20m for each Parliamentary constituency it has.
In Bury’s case this means Radcliffe, which is in Bury South, and Bury town centre in Bury North.
The council is expected to learn if its bid has been successful this autumn.
If Whitehall approves the bid, the Levelling Up Fund cash would cover almost two thirds of the cost of both projects, valued at a combined £62m.
Bury Market
The flexi hall would feature co-working space
The council wants to create a ‘flexi hall’ at Bury Market, featuring a multifunctional events space that can support market stalls, pop-up trading, live performances, and community events.
The development will also include a café bar, an area dedicated to office functions, as well as workshops and co-working space, the council said.
The flexi hall will be used to “complement the market’s offer and expand the diversity of groups who use the market, without losing or alienating existing customers”, Bury added.
Radcliffe civic hub
The civic hub will be located on the south block of the existing 1960s town centre precinct
The civic hub in Radcliffe will be located on the south block of the existing 1960s town centre precinct. Earlier this year, the council approved the acquisition of the site from London & Associated Properties for an undisclosed sum.
Proposals for the hub include leisure, library, and learning facilities, as well as council and NHS services.
The hub, designed by AEW Architects, would also include retail units, food and beverage outlets, and community events space.
“Response, recovery and regeneration are the overriding priorities for the council,” said Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council.
“With these bids we are stepping up our ambitions to create the largest regeneration in a generation for the people of our borough.”
Bury’s bid is the latest in a procession of requests submitted to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
Blackpool, Cheshire West and Chester, Copeland, Sefton, Bolton and Salford are among the other councils to have submitted bids totalling £135m.
