Spalding and District Civic Society calls for action to boost the town’s appearance

Grant money could be secured to improve the town’s historic appearance if an ‘eye-catching’ proposal was put together.

Spalding and District Civic Society feels that proposals should be made to Historic England or National Lottery Heritage Fund for money to help with the upkeep of town centre properties.

The society has said that the argument for the town to become a ‘heritage action zone’ has been strengthened after masonry fell from a Market Place property earlier this month.

Heritage action zones, which are a Historic England initiative, aim to help boost economic growth and improve quality of life through joint working and grant funding.

Civic society chairman John Bland said: “The money is there to be had – it just needs some creativity to put together a proposal that is eye catching enough to secure the funding.

“There is a consensus that the town centre and its buildings needs to appear as if it is cared for. Whilst some of the buildings in the town centre are clearly cared for and there has been some progress in encouraging owners to improve the appearance of their properties, there is still much more to be done.

“If funding can be secured to support them to do so, then it will benefit them and it will benefit the town.”

Although it is coming to an end, the action zone programme helped to revitalise 67 towns - including King’s Lynn - by providing funding for buildings, communities and cultural events.

Mr Bland also states: “The authority could apply for funding from Historic England under the Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas arrangement which would be a partnership between Historic England, the local authority and other funding bodies and is designed to ensure the long term sustainable future of conservation areas which in Spalding’s case includes the town centre.

“This is done through supporting heritage-based regeneration initiatives. A grant scheme for property owners to restore their buildings would be such an initiative.

“The National Lottery Heritage Fund is another source of funding. Spalding Reconnected was of course funded by the latter.

“A further National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant could be used to secure up to £10million and as such could be used to develop a specific scheme along similar lines as the High Streets Action Zone programme that is dedicated to Spalding. It could then do much more than Spalding Reconnected ever could.”

Spalding Reconnected aimed to celebrate the town’s history and heritage with arts and nature schemes after receiving just under £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2022.

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