Published July 19, 2016 at 15:21
Plans for Rawtenstall’s new £5.4million Spinning Point masterplan have gone into top gear as funding was approved.
The Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) Board and Lancashire County Council (LCC) have now both formally approved the Rossendale Together Barnfield Partnership’s £1.9million bid to the Local Growth Fund and the £3.5million Lancashire County Council funding.
Confirmation of this funding success was welcomed by Cllr Alyson Barnes, Leader of Rossendale Borough Council; “This is brilliant news and it is credit to the masterplan that the LEP recognise the growth and regeneration plans for Rawtenstall.”
RTB Board Members also welcomed the news, Ian Clark, RTB Board Member and Together Housing Group’s Director of Strategy and Communications, said: “This is fantastic news and we’re looking forward to bringing a fantastic new development to the centre of Rawtenstall. We’ve consulted heavily for a number of groups to ensure we get the best solution for the town, and now we’re looking forward to seeing them come to fruition.”
Tim Webber, Chair of the RTB Board said; “This is excellent news, it is another successful step for our growth plans. We’re looking forward to getting on site and bringing the plans to life.”
Stuart Sugarman, Chief Executive of Rossendale Borough Council and RTB Board Member welcomed this announcement; “The RTB Board is delighted to have final confirmation of the funding for the new bus station development. This really brings the project to life and we are all working hard to deliver for Rawtenstall. Investment of this scale will mean this development will bring huge improvements to commuters, strengthens our visitor offer and will generally boost the wider Rawtenstall economy.”
County Councillor John Fillis, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Good transport links and infrastructure are fundamental to support our economy and help people access opportunities and go about their lives, whether they need to get to work, school or college, or visit family and friends.
“I’m glad to be able to agree the significant investment needed to deliver Rawtenstall’s new bus station, which is an important part of Rossendale Borough Council’s plans to regenerate this area and secure a healthy economic future for the town.”
Graham Cowley, chair of the LEP’s Growth Deal Management Board, said: “The £1.9m Growth Deal funding for this new Rawtenstall bus station is a further example of how the LEP supports key regeneration projects across the county. Good quality public transport interchanges in particular are crucial for connecting local communities to local businesses, and the development of Spinning Point is part of a wider integrated strategy for Lancashire which links together transport, housing and skills to drive growth and create jobs.”
Plans for the new bus station were approved by Rossendale Council’s Development Control Committee in February 2016 after a lengthy consultation process.
The RTB Partnership aim to start development on the bus station phase of the project in late August.
Filed under : Rawtenstall | point | redevelopment | spinning