Bexhill town centre set for £1 million boost

Rother s new cabinet has backed a recommendation by planning officer Leslie Robinson to set up a three-year Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (HERS) for the town centre.

The scheme would offer shop and other property owners grant aid in repairing and restoring their premises and improving or replacing their shopfronts.

English Heritage launched the HERS programme in 1998 as its primary vehicle for conservation-led area regeneration. The aim is to bring about economic and social improvement through investment in conservation. In order to meet the deadline, the cabinet agreed as a matter of urgency to appoint consultants at a cost of up to 10,000.

Rother s contribution during the first year of the scheme would be 62,000 and could reach a maximum of 100,000 a year. The county council is putting in 10,000.

The contributions will be matched by English Heritage aid and Rother s contribution could be aided by the Single Regeneration Fund and other sources.

Under the HERS programme, councils have to demonstrate what they are doing towards economic regeneration.

Mr Robinson says Rother s town centre conservation area, its shop front and security measures policies and initiatives like Spirit Of Place and Bexhill Regeneration Partnership s Making Bexhill Better campaign meet this requirement.

A HERS scheme is designed to:

*Rescue historic buildings at risk

*Invest in the regeneration and re-use of buildings

*Revitalise an area s economic base

Mr Robinson says Rother s preliminary bid has been accepted and English Heritage are prepared to commit up to 87,000 a year for the duration of the scheme.