Multi-million-pound plans to regenerate and transform a County Durham town have been welcomed by a senior Government minister.
Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, heard about wide-ranging proposals for the future of Bishop Auckland when he visited the town today (Friday, 11 June).
The visit follows news last week that Durham County Council had been successful in bidding for £33.2 million from the government’s Stronger Towns Fund with its plans to create a world-class visitor destination centred around the town.
The authority had previously been informed in December last year that it will also receive £20 million from the Future High Streets Fund to support Bishop Auckland’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and to protect and create jobs.
Mr Jenrick took a tour of sites around the town including the Auckland Tower, Auckland Castle and park, the Market Place and Newgate Street. He was accompanied by Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council; Cllr Richard Bell, Deputy Leader of the council; Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships; Cllr James Rowlandson, Cabinet member for resources, investment and assets; David Land, Chair of the Stronger Town Board; and Jonathan Ruffer and David Maddan, of the Auckland Project.
The group took the opportunity to discuss the council’s intention to bid for a share of the government’s £4 billion national Levelling Up Fund (LUF), to support three schemes to improve connectivity, reduce travel times and expand economic and cultural opportunities in and around South West Durham.
Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “I’ve been blown away by what I have seen today. I have been following what’s been happening here for many years and knew it was going to be special, but I really think this is one of the most impressive projects I have seen anywhere in the country.
“What I’m seeing here in Bishop Auckland is a plan for the whole town that will help to raise aspirations, raise living standards and attract thousands of tourists while bringing prosperity and jobs to the area. The combination of local councillors, the council and the business community working together with private philanthropy – it’s really all coming together into something tremendously exciting, so I’m hopeful that that will keep on going.
“The new funding coming from the government will help to restore the high street, to bring in new businesses and enterprises and create something that people from all over County Durham can be really proud of.
“I’m very grateful to everybody who has been involved – to the council and the town deal board here in Bishop Auckland. They have done an amazing job and I’m really inspired by what I have seen today and I look forward to coming back soon and watching progress.”
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “The minister’s visit offered a fantastic opportunity to showcase Bishop Auckland on a national level and to highlight just how the funding that has been secured is going to be put to use.
“As well as supporting the town, and in turn the wider county, in its recovery from the pandemic, the Stronger Towns and Future High Streets funding is going to be vital in bringing about real change in Bishop Auckland – boosting retail and hospitality, improving infrastructure and creating jobs.
“And by building on the many improvements that have already been carried out by a range of partners in the town over recent years, we are confident we can establish Bishop Auckland as a world-class visitor destination and a catalyst for economic growth for the county as a whole.
“Mr Jenrick’s visit also offered us the opportunity to talk about our plans for the money that has already been secured, but also our proposals for additional funding through the Levelling Up Fund. If we are successful in our bid, we plan to work with a wide range of partners on a number of significant schemes that will not only further transform the town but also have a knock-on effect on the wider county.”
David Land, Chair of the Stronger Town Board, said: “It is incredibly important to have national recognition for the work taking place in County Durham to support and regenerate our communities.
“The board and its partners have worked incredibly hard to attract investment to the town and to come up with plans that will have long-term benefits for the whole community and we are very much looking forward to seeing more of these plans come to fruition.”
As part of the successful Stronger Towns bid, the Bishop Auckland Stronger Town Board set out a vision of the town as a world-class heritage destination and a gateway to the Durham Dales, with the visitor economy playing a significant part in ensuring the county’s economic growth as well as supporting its recovery from the pandemic.
The funding will be allocated to a number of regeneration projects which will help to attract an additional 1.5 million visitors to the town each year, substantially boosting the county’s visitor economy by £240 million and creating almost 4,000. It will also help to attract almost £200 million of private sector investment.
Investment in new infrastructure will help to cater for increased visitor numbers and support job creation and the recruitment of residents into new opportunities.
The Future High Streets Funding, meanwhile, will help boost the town’s retail and hospitality sector, supporting the conversion of under-used buildings, ensuring the area is accessible with a new bus station and car parks and providing better links to key visitor attractions.
These plans will be further boosted if the council is also successful in its submission for funding for Bishop Auckland from the LUF.
The Bishop Auckland bid is the first of six the authority intends to put forward in an attempt to secure a total of £120 million for the county’s parliamentary constituency areas.
Worth a potential £20 million, the plans and proposals support the council’s Towns and Villages Strategy, which aims to act as a catalyst for further regeneration and investment throughout County Durham and seeks to align the council’s budgets and activities to ensure they deliver the best outcomes for communities.
The town also includes the Bishop Auckland Heritage Action Zone, which has been created to improve its historic centre and rejuvenate it as a vibrant market town for both local residents and visitors. Funded by Historic England, the zone’s plan for economic, social and cultural regeneration includes 44 projects running across five years, from 2018 to 2023.
