£1.2million funding bid

City Council submit regeneration bid to NWDA

A Carlisle City Council Executive have given approval to move forward with plans to regenerate key parts of the city centre today (Monday, 24 September).

Members of the Executive were asked to approve a £1.2million funding bid to the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) to be used to buy property within key 'transformational' sites.

The regeneration areas have been identified as part of the ongoing Carlisle Renaissance proposals and include the Rickergate and Victoria Viaduct areas of the city. The NWDA funds could be used to acquire properties, within these areas, that are currently up for sale or where the owners have previously approached the City Council.

Deputy Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr Ray Bloxham said:

The NWDA have indicated that they want to support the overall economic position of Carlisle and in particular areas of the city which have already been identified as in need of regeneration. The £1.2 million bid is not a proposal to buy up residential properties that aren't currently up for sale but rather use funds outside the City Council's resources to purchase appropriate proprieties that come up on the market. The action is pre-emptive to avoid speculators buying up property opportunistically and running areas down.

Following today's Executive committee City Council officers will now assess potential properties, organise formal valuations and condition surveys and have detailed negotiations with the property owners.