Communities from across the North of England and South of Scotland came together on October 13 at Carlisle Civic Centre to celebrate the progress of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal’s Place Programme.
Throughout the conference, updates were given on some of the projects benefiting from the investment, fostering collaboration between local authorities and community representatives as they work to bring their visions to life.
The Place Programme is a central part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal and will support the towns’ economic growth through Place and Town Investment Plans.
Following the completion of all the Place Plans, there are now six Town Investment Plans approved in England, and four projects within these are now underway with funding from the programme.
Key presentations included insights from Programme Board Chair Mark Shucksmith, a panel Q&A led by Borderlands Inclusive Growth Director Rick O’Farrell, and project updates from Egremont Town team and The Roxy in Ulverston.
Egremont, in Cumbria, will see up to £3 million of Borderlands investment transforming a central brownfield site into a community hub, enhancing the Florence Arts Centre, and improving town connectivity to support local businesses. The Roxy is delivering its £500k refurbishment, funded by Borderlands, to modernize and enhance the iconic Roxy building in Ulverston, building on previous funding from the Community Ownership Fund.
Mark Shucksmith, Programme Board Chair said: “Today’s event has been a huge success in enabling communities to meet, network, and learn from each other. As one of our members said, Borderlands is key and central to deliver real significant change to communities and spaces that are often overlooked by larger funding pots.
“The Place Plan focuses on community led; place-based regeneration is just one part of the Growth Deal’s £452m investment across our region to help to drive economic success, resilience, and social sustainability.”
This event underscores the continuing commitment to empowering local communities and ensuring the Borderlands region’s towns are thriving centres for prosperity and quality of life.
