A GROUP of business owners have laid out their plans for the regeneration of Leigh town centre, using "local expertise" to access Levelling Up funding and catalyse future growth.
Using the combined knowledge of more than 100 local businesses, Leigh Means Business (LMB) was set up to "improve the quality of the offering" in the town centre and attract more people to the town.
Expanding their project with architects and urban designers, the community interest company have put forward a comprehensive package to Wigan Council in the hope of collaborating with them to regenerate Leigh town centre.
Aiming to deliver this through the Government's Levelling Up fund, the team at LMB have - through consultations with the public and local businesses - come up with 12 "momentous" proposals on how they would spend the £20 million.
The heart of LMB's proposals consist of re-landscaping the town centre's main streets, a revamp of Civic Square, the creation of a multi-purpose enterprise centre and improvements to Leigh Market.
Further to this, there is a desire to pedestrianise certain town centre areas, refurbish shop fronts, incentivise a "cafe-culture" and grow the night-time economy.
The project is separate to the council's Strategic Regeneration Framework, which agreed upon improvements to the connectivity, green spaces and council homes in Leigh last month.
Instead, their town centre proposals are hoped to be used in collaboration with the council's Levelling Up funding bid, which if successful, is hoped to not only rejuvenate the town but be the "catalyst" for further funding and investment in the town centre.
This means that even after the government funding has been spent, there may still be avenues for further growth as the town centre has become a more attractive place to visit, shop and open business premises.
Director of LMB, Steven Tomlinson, said: "Leigh Means Business is a cooperation of local businesses who are all working together to make Leigh a better business network.
"We represent the knowledge and experience of businesses in the town centre and want to work with the council to put forward the best bid possible for the Levelling Up funding.
"If done right, this can be the catalyst to enable further investment, through private or public funding, to continue the growth and improvement of Leigh."
Aidan Thatcher, acting director for economy and skills at Wigan Council, said: “The Council welcomes the engagement of all the community of Leigh in regenerating the town centre. We are aware of Leigh Means Business’ proposals and have engaged with them.
“The Council have consulted extensively on the Leigh Town Centre Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) which sets a flexible and robust vision for the town centre and will coordinate activity, shape development and guide investment.
“Many of the proposals put forward by Leigh Means Business reflect the overall approach of the SRF and the Council will continue to engage with Leigh Means Business along with other partners in the wider community to secure the best possible future for Leigh.”
To find out more about Leigh Means Business' proposals, visit their website here
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