£14M TOWN DEAL FUNDING RELEASED FOR FIRST RECONNECTING RUNCORN PROJECTS

Public events in June will give local residents and businesses an opportunity to see and hear first-hand about the progress being made to deliver the seven exciting projects that form the £23.6m Reconnecting Runcorn programme. The events are:

• ‘Walk and talk’ tour – starting at The Brindley at 10am on Tuesday 6 June
• Reconnecting Runcorn Showcase – a drop-in event at The Brindley 2pm-6pm on Friday 9 June
• Question and answer session – with the Runcorn Town Board at The Brindley 5pm on Friday 9 June

The ‘walk and talk’ tour on 6 June will show off the full scale of the Reconnecting Runcorn programme, with a route that takes in all seven projects.

The tour will start at The Brindley at 10am and work its way along the High Street and through to Runcorn Station Quarter, stopping to hear from those directly involved in leading the work on the Reconnecting Runcorn projects. To secure a place on the tour, please book via info@hazlehurststudios.co.uk

Leading the tour will be Claire Pitt from Hazlehurst Studios – the first tenants of 71 High Street – the Grade II Listed building renovated and refurbished as part of the Reconnecting Runcorn programme.

Claire hopes that local people will be keen to learn more about Reconnecting Runcorn, saying “I hope that everyone who joins the tour leaves feeling more informed, but more importantly, really enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of our town centre.

“Each of the Reconnecting Runcorn projects we will see on our route, bring their own benefits for local people, but the tour will give a wider understanding of how collectively,  they will invigorate the whole town centre and we hope, inspire local people.

“I’m excited to be leading the tour and also to show off Hazlehurst Studio’s fabulous new home at 71 High Street. I hope lots of people will join me.”

On 9 June from 2pm – 6pm a drop-in public event will take place at The Brindley, where all seven Reconnecting Runcorn projects will be showcased.

Those attending will have the opportunity to view the proposed plans in detail, see artists impressions, speak directly to the architects and organisations involved in delivering the projects and give feedback.

As part of the showcase, there will also be a Question and Answer session starting at 5pm, with members of the Runcorn Town Deal Board available for answering questions from the public.

Anyone who has a question but is not able to make the event – or who would prefer to ask a question in advance – can email reconnectingruncorn@halton.gov.uk.

Adrian Fillingham, Chair of the Runcorn Town Board is hoping as many members of the public as possible come along to the events saying: “The Runcorn Town Deal Board brings together expertise from across a wide spectrum of the local community in Runcorn. This expertise has enabled the Board to develop a programme of regeneration that address the multiple needs of Runcorn town centre.

“The seven varied Reconnecting Runcorn projects are the outcome of a prioritization and selection process, after wider public consultation. Having been through a rigorous business case approval process, the projects have now been approved by Government, with funding to make the projects a reality.

“These events in June provide local people with a fantastic opportunity to see the plans and see for themselves the  transformation that Reconnecting Runcorn will bring over the  next few years.

“We have less than three years to deliver the projects, and while there is still a lot of planning going on in the background, we are keen to see construction start on some projects later this year. Watch this space!”

The Reconnecting Runcorn projects at the showcase will be:

• Brindley Theatre Enhancement
• Health and Education Hub
• High Street Connectivity
• Unlock Runcorn
• Runcorn Station Quarter Enterprise Facility
• Town Centre New Homes
• Creative and Digital Skills Centre

This is a drop-in event, happening between 2pm and 6pm, no booking is required.

About Reconnecting Runcorn

Reconnecting Runcorn is an ambitious set of seven projects that collectively will improve the lives and livelihoods of local people and boost the local economy. In July 2021, it was announced that £23.6m had been allocated from the Government’s Town’s Fund to deliver the Runcorn Town Investment Plan. Under the banner of ‘Reconnecting Runcorn’ this plan outlines a set of seven ambitious projects, suggested by local people, businesses, community groups, and the local authority.

About the Town Deal

On 27 July 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth. See further details of the announcement.

A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between government, the Lead Council and the Town Deal Board. It will set out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision.

About Northern Powerhouse

Some Northern Powerhouse key facts:

• The Northern Powerhouse is a key aspect of this Government’s approach to addressing the productivity gap in the North and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable economy for all parts of the UK.
• The government has awarded £3.4bn in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Northern Powerhouse.