Wellington residents consulted on £500k investment

A survey asking for views on what project a ‘Public Works Loan’ should be spent has just been launched.

Town Clerk Karen Roper of Wellington Town Council explained that the government loan was part of a larger redevelopment programme and it was important that local people had their say.

“We will benefit from the Government’s Towns Fund which will see £3 million supporting Wellington’s regeneration,” Karen said.

“This will focus on the historic centre, including landmark buildings, and on Wellington’s retail offer, with the aim of increasing footfall and creating tangible, positive changes.

“To complement this work, Wellington Town Council can take out a £500,000 ‘Public Works Loan’ to spend on a specific project and residents are being invited to have their say about this by completing a questionnaire.

“We want to know whether people think we should take out the loan and if we did how could the money be used to make a real impact and make a significant contribution to the town’s continued revival.”

The survey asks people to rank these projects in order of importance: acquiring property, enhancing existing buildings, improving streetscapes, tackling climate change or making the station more attractive.

The survey can be completed online on the Wellington Town Council website wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/regeneration-survey/ or a paper copy can be collected from Wellington Town Council Offices, Wellington Library and Wellington Orbit.  

Chair of Wellington Regeneration Partnership Cllr Stephen De Launey added: “Over 20 new businesses have opened in Wellington in 2021 – an amazing achievement in these challenging times for the High Street.

“Some of these have benefitted from the Telford & Wrekin Council ‘Revive and Thrive’ grants designed to help fill vacant premises and enable businesses to diversify during the pandemic. 

“We want to find out how further investment from this loan could be made to used to improve the town even further,” he added.