Bedford High Street forms part of the Bedford Conservation Area, which is considered to be at risk by English Heritage. Accordingly, Bedford Borough Council has created the High Street Townscape Heritage Initiative to recreate the traditional heart of the town centre. To do this they plan to:-
• Remove all unnecessary general traffic.
• Create a high quality people friendly and safe public realm.
• Upgrade the built fabric by reintroducing attractive traditional shop fronts and regular markets, encouraging street cafes and restaurants, increasing upper floor residential and commercial use and creating a life of vitality making a destination for people of all ages at all times.
The Bedford High Street Townscape Heritage Initiative will run from September 2011 to August 2016 working with local organisations and building owners and occupiers.
Funding will be available through grants to landlords and tenants along the High Street. The grant rates have been set at 70% for repair work and 80% for architectural reinstatement works. It is anticipated that for every grant funded property will have a traditional shop front reinstated based on historic photographic evidence. There is a maximum cap of £200,000 grant per property.
Bedford Borough Council have instructed Robinson & Hall to value a number of the High Street properties to assess the market value at the current condition and once the anticipated works have been undertaken. Simon Patrick, Head of Commercial Property Services at Robinson & Hall, comments that “this is an exciting opportunity for property owners on Bedford High Street to apply for grant funding to revitalise their properties and enhance the capital value and make their properties more lettable”.
For further information on the scheme, please contact Sian Hughes at Bedford Borough Council on 01234 276257 or Simon Patrick at Robinson & Hall on 01234 362921.