Town centres

Opportunity for improved town centres - Guidelines for applicants (updated April 2008)

All towns across the borough are invited to develop and submit plans for their shopping areas, with the aim of:

  • Improving the trading environment
  • Attracting new investment
  • Holding regular and one-off events
  • Making local towns more attractive and convenient for visitors

Schemes that encourage people to shop locally will be particularly welcome for their contribution to reducing the need to travel.

Money has been set aside for town centre management and proposals are welcome on the basis of a matched funding arrangement with the Council. Proposals could be for any period up to 3 years.

Local traders, supporters and other interested parties might already have established an association or committee that could lead an application, or it might be necessary for those interested to get together and form a new group, in which case sufficient time has been allowed.

Grants of up to 50% are available to match locally generated funds and sponsorship, to assist in getting new schemes firmly established. The intention is to give financial assistance to those schemes that show promise of becoming self-financing in a period of up to three years

There are no specific deadlines for submission of proposals, but the sooner they are in and approved, the sooner the money can be released to commence action.

If you have ideas for your local centre that you would like to see developed, but perhaps do not have any active group to take them forward, you are strongly encouraged to discuss these with one of your ward councillors.

Eligibility

A town centre management board, trade or similar organisation or appropriate steering-group with bank account should submit proposals.

Please note schemes concerned with only Christmas lights could receive funding from a separate Council fund; more details are available from liz.rice@richmond.gov.uk

Application procedure

The proposal should say exactly what the money will support or pay for.

This could be a particular event, series of activities, a more permanent commitment, such as the appointment of a part-or full-time town centre manager or any other initiative designed to meet the criteria shown below.

Timetable

Applications for funding can be made at anytime, providing the proposed scheme can be completed by 31 March 2010, so it is advisable to apply as soon as possible in order to maximise the benefit.

Some discussions or negotiation of detailed aspects of your application could be required, before any final decision on council funding support and, for this purpose, it will be helpful to have the names and contact details of one or two leading representatives. Decisions on larger bids for funding, and those that are likely to have implications for the total town centre management budget, might be slightly delayed by the need to seek a Cabinet decision.

Any proposals received from different sources that have potential conflicts of interest, duplication of effort or use of resources run the risk of refusal or detailed negotiations and a Cabinet decision.

Requirements

  1. Proposals should focus on outcomes that will give clear and sustainable improvement to the town centre, its environs and vitality
  2. Evidence of matched funding will be needed.  Approximately 50% of the funding should be available or pledged locally
  3. A clearly presented budget with itemised costs against all the proposed key actions and some indication of how the scheme(s) could become self-financing in the future

Other welcome aspects of the application

  1. Aims and actions that contribute to a “cleaner and greener” environment
  2. Proposals that will increase the level of trading and attractiveness of the town centre for regular visits and shopping needs by the widest possible section of the community
  3. Proposals that attract additional visitor numbers or enhanced trading for a period of time, such as fairs, festivals, markets and other community events
  4. Proposals that aim to meet the interests and needs of the communities they serve appropriately or in an innovative way

When your proposal is complete, please send it to:

The Economic Development Manager
Environment Directorate
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Civic Centre
44 York Street
Twickenham
TW1 3BZ

Contractual arrangements for successful applicants

All successful applications will need to be supported by a service agreement between the responsible body and the Council, but it is not anticipated that the preparation of these documents would cause any delay in the commencement of the proposed scheme.

Association of Town Centre Management

The Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) offer advice and assistance in setting up a town centre partnership. Details of their workshops can be viewed here.(pdf, 105KB)