Salisbury to benefit from significant investment from Government’s High Street Fund

Wiltshire Council's bid for government funding to help reinvigorate Salisbury high streets have been successful with more than £9m being awarded.

As part of the government’s Future High Street Fund, Wiltshire Council has been provisionally awarded £9,355,731 for Salisbury and £16,347,056 for Trowbridge.

The Future High Streets Fund was launched by the government in December 2018 to help revitalise town centres to ensure they can respond to the ongoing impact of both online shopping and out of town shopping.

Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of Wiltshire Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, said: “We put together two attractive and comprehensive business cases and are delighted Salisbury and Trowbridge will be benefitting from significant investment.

“This funding will help us unlock the potential and reinvigorate both centres and make them more attractive places to live, work, visit and shop.

“High streets have faced a really tough time in recent years, and the pandemic will unfortunately only add to that, but this funding from Government will really benefit the local area. Overall this investment will help ensure both the high streets of Trowbridge and Salisbury continue to be the focal point of both communities.”

The two successful funding bids will be used to reinvigorate the high streets of Salisbury and Trowbridge with a range of projects to attract visitors and businesses in to the heart of the city and town.

In Salisbury, the bid aims to make the city a more attractive destination for visitors and residents. The plan will encourage young people to live in the centre of Salisbury, thereby increasing footfall and bringing vibrancy to the high street, and also redevelop retail units in prime high street locations to create a cluster of small artisan retail and leisure units.

The Trowbridge bid focuses on improving connections into the town centre, by bringing more leisure, residential and culture activity into the town centre, making better use of vacant units and accelerating the development of key sites in the town centre. The project also aims to deliver a mix of cultural, leisure, co-working and residential opportunities within the heart of the town centre.