A major funding bid that could reverse the decline of Holyhead and spark its regeneration has been presented to the UK Government.
Isle of Anglesey County Council has formally submitted its multi-million pound bid to help transform the town.
"Holyhead: A culture and heritage driven transformation" aims to reverse the decline of the town centre, and increase pride of place for residents.
The bid document proposes an exciting package of projects to increase employment; improve the town centre offer and visitor experience; increase footfall and spending; provide modern floor space to meet business needs and increase access to the arts, culture and leisure.
If successful, the bid would secure £22.5m of investment, including £17m from the Levelling Up Fund, and deliver over £54m in benefits to the local community.
The UK Government is expected to make a decision on the competitive bidding process during the autumn.
The Island’s largest town, Holyhead has some of the worst deprived neighbourhoods in Wales. The bid would see key local assets enhanced to make the area a better place to live and visit.
The Isle of Anglesey County Council has worked in partnership with Holyhead Town Council, Môn CF, the Ucheldre Centre and the Church in Wales to understand the area’s needs and present a package of interventions in and around Holyhead.
Anglesey Council Deputy Leader and Economic Development portfolio holder, Councillor Carwyn Jones, said, “We needed to ensure that our bid was well thought out and took advantage of the opportunities from the Levelling Up Fund to make a real and lasting difference to local people’s lives and opportunities.”
“We’ve worked incredibly closely with our partners for nearly a year to progress and develop their ideas and have a strong bid that meets all of UK Government’s requirements. The bid needed the endorsement of local MP Virginia Crosbie, who has not hesitated in her support of the bid.
He added, “Now that the bid is submitted we have a little bit of time until the autumn to hear the outcome. If successful, it will act as a major step towards the revival of Holyhead, with benefits that spread across the whole island.”
Virginia Crosbie MP said, “I am delighted to support this bid by Anglesey County Council and thank the officers for their work. It is incredibly important that we work together to do what we can locally to level up, by improving the economy and making a real difference to people’s lives and providing more employment opportunities for local people.
“I have seen first-hand the volume of work that has gone into preparing this bid and it is down to the commitment of everyone involved, from residents, businesses, Holyhead Town Council, and all the other partners that we have this ambitious bid to transform the area.”
“Anglesey has already been awarded almost £200m in funds from the UK Government since I became the Member of Parliament and I will continue to work hard in Westminster to ensure Ynys Môn remains front and centre of UK Government policy.”
The Levelling Up Fund is a competitive funding programme assessed and administered by the UK Government. Local Authorities are the only body who can submit applications to the fund which covers three key priorities; supporting town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and cultural and heritage assets.
The "Holyhead: A culture and heritage driven transformation" bid was submitted following an initial expression of interest process and having carefully considered the UK Government funding criteria.
This bid aligns closely with the objectives of the Levelling Up White Paper and was deemed the only one with a credible chance of support and success in this competitive bidding process.
Ends 5 August 2022
Find out more: Levelling Up Fund - Holyhead bid