Welcome

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded Bedford Borough Council a “ first round pass” towards securing a grant of £897,100 for the restoration and regeneration of the High Street.

BedfordBID has pledged vital matching funds which will help the Council’s bid for the cash. If the bid is successful, the investment will encourage better shop front/advertisement design and the use of currently vacant upper floors, restore historically significant buildings and reinstate lost architectural detail. The scheme features 48 priority buildings along both sides of the High Street.
 
The Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “Regenerating the High Street is a key element of our plans to create a more vibrant, thriving town centre. We are therefore delighted to have been awarded a first round pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a further funding bid as we seek to secure the £900,000 grant funding that will do so much to revitalise this historic part of our town centre.”
 

A first-round pass means that money has been set aside by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the scheme in question. Competition at this stage is tough, and while it does not guarantee funding, it is an indication of positive support. The applicants can then progress to the second round and submit a further, fully-developed application to secure the full award.
 
Executive Director Mo Aswat said: “This is promising news for Bedford High Street and will be made possible by the fact that money from businesses, who pay the BedfordBID level, will be used to “match” funding which may be offered. That match funding is vital to the whole project as “private sector” or business money is part of the deal.