Deadline: 17-Feb-23
The East Suffolk Council is seeking applications for its High Street Improvement Grant to improve sustainability within town centres by building quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in, through targeted improvements to the built environment and innovative approaches to town centres.
Priorities
- The following six priorities have been identified by East Suffolk Council and all applicants must ensure that their application provides evidence how it meets one or more of the priorities:
- Town accessibility for those with disabilities and impairments
- Improving the visitor offer in towns
- To create visually stimulating and attractive town centres that capitalise on their individual character and assets to enhance their visitor experience through streetscape and public realm improvements
- Enhancing pedestrian movement through wayfinding and signage improvements between key areas of the town resulting in an increased footfall to the benefit of all businesses
- Strengthening the towns digital presence and connectivity
- Enhancements to and within town centres as well as options for improved access by foot and bicycle to the town centre and pedestrian ‘space’ in the centres.
Funding Information
- Grants of between £5,000 – £15,000 per application.
- You don’t have to have partnership/match funding for your project, however if you do, your application may be assessed more favourably (this could be cash and non-cash/volunteer contributions).
What they cannot fund?
- Applications from individuals – they cannot make grant payments to individuals
- VAT: If you are able to claim back VAT then VAT is not eligible as part of the costs of your project and should not be included.
- Annual/usual organisation running costs and core staffing costs
- Projects unable to start within 6 months of the grant award date
- Activities promoting political or religious beliefs
- Payments towards endowment funds, deficit funding or loans
- Overseas travel for individuals/groups
- Sponsored or fundraising events
- Funding for trips abroad or hospitality to other organisations
- Repeat funding – i.e. if East Suffolk Council has previously provided a grant for the same activity
- Items or projects which only benefit an individual
- Retrospective costs
- Projects that will displace existing provision
- Activities that are statutory obligations
Eligibility Criteria
- The fund is available to independent, place-based business associations and groups who are located within the geographical area of East Suffolk.
- This includes:
- Any constituted “not for profit” community, voluntary or business group
- Voluntary organisations or social enterprises
- Towns and Parish Councils
- Individual profit-making businesses will not be eligible to apply, however, businesses are encouraged to work with respective town/parish councils and/or business groups.
- The fund is available for projects and activity located within the following 12 towns:
- Aldeburgh
- Beccles
- Bungay
- Felixstowe
- Framlingham
- Halesworth
- Leiston
- Lowestoft (including the main town centre as well as the Historic High Street/ North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone area and Kirkley)
- Saxmundham
- Southwold
- Wickham Market
- Woodbridge
- This includes:
For more information, visit East Suffolk Council.