NEW details have been revealed of how more than £23million in government cash to revitalise Runcorn Town Centre will be spent.

The World revealed in July how Halton Council had been successful in its bid to the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund - a national scheme designed to drive regeneration and economic growth.

The initial bid had been for £24.9 million, but a reduced grant of £23.6 million has meant some of the seven projects included in the Runcorn bid have had to be redesigned to take the shortfall into account.

Under the banner ‘Reconnecting Runcorn’, the projects and revised funding are:

  • Runcorn Station Quarter £1,245,643: A new enterprise facility as part of the revamped station gateway with offices for town centre businesses.
  • Unlock Runcorn £4,918,025: A project years in the making, designed to harness the town’s canals and waterways for leisure and tourism.
  • Brindley Theatre enhancement £6,606,231: An extension to the Brindley Theatre with a large cafe/restaurant, and a civic space on the Brindley green.
  • Town Centre new homes £960,294: New homes on a variety of sites, which have been left undeveloped due to contamination and other issues.
  • High Street Connectivity £2,820,198: A more pedestrian and cycle-friendly high street.
  • Health and Education Hub £2,853,520: A new health and education facility on the high street providing residents with improved access to a wider variety of health, wellbeing, and training services.
  • Creative and Digital Skills Centre £3,960,089: A skills facility on the high street providing people - especially young people - access to creative and digital play, learning, and training for future employment opportunities.

Adrian Fillingham, Chair of the Runcorn Town Board said “We have seven really fantastic projects that we believe will improve the lives and livelihoods of local people and boost the local economy.

“Each of these projects brings something different (and) something unique that will add real value to Runcorn.

"So it was important to us to find a way to keep all seven of the projects alive, while closing the gap in funding, which we have been able to do by making some small adjustments to projects.”

The council said work will now begin to create a business case which must be delivered to Government by next summer.