Huntingdonshire District Council is launching the engagement process for the St Neots Future High Streets Fund town centre regeneration project starting with the launch of an online survey, for the community and for businesses, which will be available for any interested party to complete from Tuesday 10 August. The launch of the survey will lead to a workshop, taking place on Monday 6 September, to provide an update on the project and invite input from local stakeholders and signals the beginning of further widespread engagement activities.
The Future High Streets Fund project in St Neots was confirmed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in May 2021 alongside 71 other selected high streets across England. It includes a total £12.8 million investment into the district’s largest market town, St Neots, made up of £5.9 million from the District Council directly, £3.1 million from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and £3,748,815 from the MHCLG’s Future High Streets Fund.
Executive Leader of the Council, Councillor Ryan Fuller, said: “I am pleased that our public engagement process can now begin. We are inviting local residents and stakeholders to get involved with the project which will help us to further develop the details of the project as a whole, as well as the individual areas of focus. As the engagement process progresses I hope that as many residents, businesses and visitors will have their say so that we can use this unprecedented investment of MHCLG and District Council funds to create a prosperous and positive future for St Neots, paving the way for our other market towns.”
The areas of focus for the St Neots Future High Streets Fund projects are:
- regeneration of the Old Falcon Inn
- redevelopment of the Priory Centre/Priory Quarter
- improvements to the Market Square
- improvements to the High Street
- improvements to the St Neots Road Bridge
- a new waterfront route.
Further opportunities to get involved in the District Council’s engagement process will follow from the online survey, including appearances as St Neots-based events such as pop-up engagement stands on market days. Over the next few months, pop-up events, focus groups, business engagement activities and events working closely with local community groups and schools will be organised to help reach as many local people as possible, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to get involved with one of the District Council’s largest public engagements to date.
All engagement events and opportunities will be advertised on the dedicated St Neots Future High Streets Fund website, www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/fhsf and shared widely through members, community groups, partners, social media and traditional media channels.
The surveys can be found on the dedicated Future High Streets Fund page on the District Council website, by visiting www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/fhsfsurvey (Survey for residents) or www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/fhsfbusiness (Survey for local businesses).
Keep up-to-date and join our mailing list with news of the Future High Streets Fund project in St Neots along with frequently asked questions and a full rundown of what the scheme entails at www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/fhsf or if you have any questions or queries please email [email protected]
