Plans to future-proof a Nottinghamshire town's high street with a huge cash injection are making progress.
The Stapleford Town Deal is aiming to secure up to £25 million of central government funding to transform the town.
And in the latest meeting of the executive board on July 24, discussions were had on the creation of an off-road cycle track, community leisure facility and action adventure play parks.
One of the potential interventions discussed by the board also included redeveloping the public spaces around Walter Parker Square.
The suggested projects will now be reviewed for their deliverability, before potentially being included in the Town Improvement Plan (TIP), which acts as a roadmap for the distribution of the £25m Towns Fund.
The Towns Fund, which was launched by the government last year, is a raft of £3.6bn of funding made available to selected towns to regenerate their urban spaces.
Stapleford North councillor Richard MacRae previously said the funding could help put the town on the map as a shopping destination just like Beeston.
Paul Sweeney, vice chair of the Stapleford Town Deal Executive Board, said: “The proposals that have been brought to the table have the ability to create long-lasting benefit for the community.
"This investment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to realise the town’s great potential, forge a prosperous new future and build a lasting legacy.”
Rebecca Ogden, major projects officer at Broxtowe Borough Council, said: “This meeting was a big step forward for the project, giving the Executive Board the opportunity to review the proposals in detail and work out how they can match the outcomes that are required by the government as part of the funding.”
The proposals were developed by GT3 Architects following engagement with both the town’s Stakeholder Group and the wider public through the MyTowns portal, which allowed local residents to have their say on what they would like to see the money spent on.
Liz Clarke, associate director at GT3 Architects, said: “It’s great news that the plans are taking another step forward.
"We received valuable feedback from the local community on our initial designs, which helped us to really solidify our proposal.
"As a company we believe that engagement with the community and stakeholders is vitally important - by involving participants they feel engaged and part of the process.
“It was therefore a pleasure to present the scheme to the Executive Board and we are confident that the plans will make a tangible difference to Stapleford and its community.”
