Disappointment in unsuccessful Scarborough bid for £10 million
There has been more reaction to Scarborough losing out on £10 million of the Government's Future High Streets Fund.
There has been more reaction to Scarborough losing out on £10 million of Government money.
We have told you that the town has been unsuccessful in its bid for a share of the Future High Streets Fund.
Scarborough's MP, Robert Goodwill, has previously said it is because the proposal was not strong enough.
Richard Grunwell, Chair of the Scarborough Town Centre Team, said:
"I'm disappointed both in the result of the application and I'm disappointed in his response. To my mind it was a pretty strong bid for funding in an area of town which needs regeneration, and I think we should have reasonably hoped for our MP's support of it."
The transformation of the former Argos building was part of the bid.
Richard added:
"It looks like a 60s block, which is a bit of an eyesore and for 20 years or more, people have wanted to re-develop it. The officers of the council worked up a scheme so when the opportunity came under the Future High Streets Fund, they put in what I considered to be a reasonable bid.
"It was a reasonable application and I don't understand the Treasury's thinking on having to have an uplift in value for the scheme, because it wasn't in any way meant to be a scheme which was financially viable. It wasn't there to get a return.
"It was an area of town which needed re-development and I think it was fair to try and get it. I find it very disappointing that the scheme appears to have failed when people haven't understood what the intention was.
"We're disappointed rather than in any way feeling like it's the end of the road. There is an urgent need for good student accommodation within the town centre. What we're keen to do is to get an invigorated town centre, a reasonable economy, and people using the town centre more."