Council's £1.7m cash bid success for Fleetwood welcomed

Fleetwood Labour councillor, Coun Lorraine Beavers, has praised Wyre Council for successfully bidding for the grant as part of the national High Street Heritage Action Zone initiative

But Coun Beavers added that Fleetwood residents needed to be given a say in how the resulting project progresses.

Fleetwood’s town centre is among 14 historic high streets across the North West to receive funding for its revitalisation project.

The aim of this High Street Heritage Action Zone is to create a natural gateway into Fleetwood town centre, bringing more visitors into the high street from two areas which attract the most visitors, the famous market and the seafront.

Wyre will therefore focus on grant support to improve shop fronts in the vicinity of Albert Square and that end of Lord Street, although which shops will benefit has not yet been publicly identified.

A total of £1,792,362 has now been confirmed for Fleetwood high street, which has been struggling for several years after the loss of key industries in the town, including fishing.

Although some new shops have opened recently, there are still a number of empty, boarded up premises and these regularly attract vandals, creating a negative impression of the high street.

Wyre Council is also bidding for a separate grant for Fleetwood town centre, having submitted a bid in June for £22m to the High Streets Fund, which the council says would compliment the Heritage Action Zone project.

Coun Michael Vincent, portfolio holder for planning and economic development said: “Fleetwood is a town that is proud of its heritage, and rightly so.

"We are therefore delighted to have been awarded funds as part of the Heritage Action Zone scheme.

"The high street is the beating heart of any community and this money will allow us to revive shop fronts and bring back elements of Sir Peter Hesketh’s Fleetwood.

"The areas of the high street we have outlined in our submission have fantastic architectural heritage and we are so pleased that these will be restored to their former glory.”

Coun Beavers said: "It's brilliant news for the town, especially during the pandemic

"Wyre Council has worked really hard for this, credit where it is due.

"I just hope the council listens to the people of Fleetwood and hear what they believe will help the town.

"Sometimes things have been done to Fleetwood because the people who make the decisions don't live in the town and don't take on board what the residents actually want."

Coun Beavers suggested that, now the money was secured, a follow up consultation would be helpful.

Shop owner Jayne Robinson, who this summer opened a new business, the Baby Jane lingerie shop on St Peter's Place in the Albert Square area of the town centre, said: "I think any help that the town centre can get is really welcome, it's excellent news.

"It's this kind of thing that made me confident that things are starting to happen for Fleetwood's high street."