Mayoral Combined Authority awards £200K to Wisbech Town Council

Following Wisbech Market Place's inclusion in the approved Market Towns Programme, a bid in the sum of £200K has been successful and awarded to the Town Council to mobilise its Masterplan drive of targeted growth and regeneration. Together with the successful bid for £150K from Cambridgeshire County Council's Communities Capital Fund and match-funded by the Town Council in the sum of £50K the full amount required to deliver this project has now been agreed.

Both bids recognised that this project seeks to both improve the appearance of Wisbech Market Place and introduce new and improved facilities which will enhance its use as both a trading area and a community space. One of the key aspects to this project is to develop a pedestrianised zone (operating between 7.00 am and 4.00 pm within the Market Place area and, secondly, to prohibit car parking on the Market Place and to undertake physical works such as new seating and waste bins, re-paving, decorative water features, plus a feature to attract the public to want to spend time in that space.

By bringing people together, whether it be for retail activity or community activity, the Market Place plays an important role in improving community cohesion/integration and people's wellbeing and mental health. Making Wisbech Market Place a more inviting and welcoming place for people to spend time will bring many benefits to the community.

Councillor Lynn commented:

"This vision is going to become a reality now, and with confirmation of this additional funding to make the project possible, the Town Council cannot wait to crack on with the work. Our next step will be to have further meetings with the Civil Engineers to undertake ground surveys".

James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said:

"This is about getting our unique market towns fit for the future. They are crucial to the whole region as social and economic hubs and the Combined Authority is committed to helping each prosper, taking their surrounding communities forward with them.

"More people live in our market towns than in our cities. They are Cambridgeshire's backbone and they should be its powerhouse too. They've already got a fantastic history and I want them to have a fantastic future. That means investment and that's what the Combined Authority is putting in, along with the road and rail infrastructure that joins up, links in, and levels up."

"It's about turning dreams into reality. The Masterplans pinpoint what our towns need most and reveal huge opportunities for sustainable growth, better transport, improved accessibility and more skills training. I hope that each market town will secure a good slice of the funding available and the Town teams and districts will partner ever more closely with the Mayoral Combined Authority to help create the communities they want for themselves."

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