The first set of business cases for Towns Funds in the Bradford district worth over £7million have been given the go ahead to proceed.
The projects in the Keighley and Shipley Towns Fund areas both include funding to help local businesses to grow. This is funding to support businesses to become more productive, helping them to modernise and diversify to be more competitive and to increase productivity and safeguard jobs.
The other projects in Keighley are:
- Funding for Keighley Creative Community Hub to create a cultural destination in Keighley, joining up other creative enterprises and running outreach programmes with schools, communities and businesses across the Keighley wards.
- Funding for Keighley Art and Film Festival working with Keighley Creative to support the development of the annual festival, along with a year round programme of celebratory and engaging events.
- Funding for the Women Employment Project to establish a textile academy delivering a bespoke skills training package for local women from diverse backgrounds. The funding will provide an annexe to an existing building to house sewing machines and equipment within a learning and working environment.
In Shipley the funding will help Shipley Library to develop an Enterprise Hub and upgrade the exhibition space to showcase local entrepreneurs, craftspeople, makers and small businesses including support, mentoring and training opportunities, networking events and workspace facilities.
At Wrose Quarry Wetlands the funds will help to regenerate the heritage site at Wrose Hill/Quarry, including adding accessible footpaths, improving biodiversity by creating new wetland features, tree planting and the addition of new recreational features.
Business cases are being developed for the rest of the Keighley projects – including town centre and infrastructure improvements, a Keighley Skills Hub, a Manufacturing, Engineering Future Technologies Hub, a Community Grant Scheme and funding for the Health and Wellbeing Centre – and will be submitted to Government over the coming months.
For Shipley business cases are being prepared for a Development Investment Fund, town centre and infrastructure improvements, a community, art and future technology centre, a health, wellbeing and community campus and a Sustainable Community Hub.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “I’m delighted with the progress of the funding bids for both Keighley and Shipley Towns Funds. This money is set to make a real difference to people living in Shipley and Keighley and their surrounding areas.”
Ian Hayfield, chair of Keighley Towns Fund Board, said: “This is an important milestone and I’m really keen that we keep up the momentum, so that we can really make a difference for the people of Keighley.”
Adam Clerkin, chair of Shipley Towns Fund Board, said: “This funding provides real opportunities for the people of Shipley and we look forward to seeing these projects come to life.”
