MP Will Quince supports Levelling-up bid to Government for £20m

The Conservative Government has invited Colchester to bid for a further £20m from the Government’s Levelling-Up Fund to support improvements to Colchester’s city centre.

The bid, by Essex County Council in partnership with the Borough Council, will boost the local economy.

The focus will be on several high-profile projects to improve the feel of the city centre, attract more visitors and increase footfall by redeveloping the St Botolph’s area. The bid will kick-start a series of works to improve public safety and create a new public realm space that helps build a traffic-free route from St Botolph’s Priory to Colchester Castle and Castle Park,

The bid also proposes to complete the existing Town Deal kerb-less route from Head Street to Queen Street, and to support businesses to improve shop fronts in the St Botolph’s area.

Conservative Group Leader on the Borough Council, Cllr Darius Laws said: "This is a superb opportunity to obtain £20m of Government funding that will support the Town Centre Masterplan proposed by the previous Conservative Administration, and deliver a long-term boost to the borough’s economy and create jobs,

Will Quince, MP for Colchester, who supported the Levelling Up bid application, added: “I am delighted to support this bid for £20m of funding that will build on work already done in the city centre and help regenerate key areas of Colchester, such as St Botolph’s. Levelling-up is about ensuring that everyone, no matter where they live, has the same life chances as everybody else, and this bid is an integral part of that for Colchester. City centres are changing, and this bid will help ensure that more of Colchester’s heritage and public realm is celebrated and enjoyed by residents, businesses and visitors.”

Conservatives pledge to rejuvenate the town centre after years of neglect by the Liberal-Democrat and Labour Coalitions that have run the Borough Council in recent years

2022-08-09