Loughborough Town Deal

Thirty years ago I helped win regeneration funding for Loughborough. Yesterday I saw the results of the latest £50m investment.

My first experience of Loughborough Town Regeneration was as Chair of the Economic Development Committee in 1995 with Charnwood Borough Council. That is when we won the Single Regeneration Budget, where Martin Traynor OBE, FIH, MIoD and I first joined up on a Committee! Thirty years later we are still going in our new capacity with the Loughborough Town Deal Board as Chair and Vice Chair again!

🏗️ So it was lovely yesterday to join colleagues, businesses, the University and College, and officers from Charnwood who have supported this latest £16.9m investment in the Town Centre. This has been a successful delivery which has levered in a total of £50m investment.

👍 However, the work is never done. There will never ben an 'endpoint' where the town stops changing as our society changes. But so many things have improved as a consequence.

🗺️ There was a refreshing presentation from retail expert Graham Soult FIPM which echoed so many of my thoughts and observations. Like every town we seeing the changing face of the town centre, and whilst nostalgia is ever present on our local Facebook pages, the reality requires us to help shape the positive future rather than wait for Woolworths to return!

📣 have been writing recently on my 30 years of interaction with Government led regeneration programmes and the future of our High streets in Loughborough and across the County Saje Impact. We need longer term, community driven consistent funding and not simple 'programmes' and shiny projects.

💼 The highlight of the Town Deal has been the collaboration across the stakeholders. But as the Council leader at the time we won the bid pointed out the £20m on offer was welcome but we needed nearer £200m to really make a big impact! I am hoping all of around the table continue to wok as collaboratively for our lovely town!

But well done to everyone for such a positive day.