Great Yarmouth £20m fund to tackle zombie shops and health

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has proposed a 'pipeline' of five projects as part of a 10-year vision to improve the town.

It follows the council being named as one of 55 towns across the country to receive government funding, to be used for long-term investments to benefit the community.

An empty shop in Great Yarmouth (Image: Archant)

Following a public consultation, the authority has identified five priority issues affecting residents, which also include cleaning the streets and fighting the scourge of fly tipping.

These will be the focus of its initial three-year investment plan and 10-year vision to be submitted to the government.

Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council (Image: Newsquest)

Carl Smith, leader of the council, said: "We want to change the perception of Yarmouth and make it a place people want to visit. 

"This funding will help us continue our work towards achieving this vision."

Sheila Oxtoby, chief executive of Great Yarmuth Borough Council (Image: Archant)

Sheila Oxtoby, chief executive at the council, added: "This will provide much-needed resources allowing us to focus on improving areas residents have identified.

"Nothing is set in stone and we will be able to reassess how the funding is spent as the programme progresses.

"We hope for a positive response from the new government."

Here are the five priorities to be targetted through the £20m fund:

1. Poor access to health services

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said there was a clear call for better access to health and dentistry services in the town. 

According to a council report, recent data suggests that people living in the town centre are currently not accessing basic health checks that support preventative action, leaving them at greater risk of developing health issues. 

To tackle this, GYBC has proposed using part of the fund to support the creation of a dentistry training hub in the former Palmers department store in Market Place.

It would form part of the empty shop's redevelopment into The Place, a community centre containing a library, university and learning centre.

Funding: £1.24m

Keeping the streets of Great Yarmouth tidy is one of the key priorities put forward for the £20m long-term town investment fund (Image: Newsquest)

2. Tidying up the town

Problems with dirty streets and the attractiveness of the town centre were a top concern for many locals.

Officials say, due to being among the most densely populated areas in the county, Yarmouth's town centre has the highest rates of fly tipping and recycling contamination in Norfolk.

GYBC says the funding could be allocated to increase resources to manage day-to-day street cleaning while also allowing for more enforcement action to be taken to target fly tipping.

Funding: £747,688

3. Zombie shops plaguing high street

A recent study by Great Yarmouth's town centre Business Improvement District found 97 empty shops that have been vacant for at least two years.

Zombie shops creating a "derelict aesthetic" in the town centre was highlighted as a key concern among locals. 

GYBC hope the £20m funding could be used to target empty shops and attract new businesses. 

It could also be used to support the redevelopment of key sites, including North Quay and the Conge and for producing a programme of cultural activities and events.

Funding: £1.5m

4. Improving the lives of children

Great Yarmouth has one of the lowest levels of GCSE attainment, the highest proportion of children classed as not in education and the highest number of children in Norfolk living in deprived households.

GYBC hopes the £20m funding could be used to support projects to improve the lives of young people, which includes providing more opportunities to socialise, have fun and improve their success at school.

It aims to work with youngsters through colleges and schools to develop new ideas for the scheme.

Funding: £177,857

5. Make the town feel safer

Fear of anti-social behaviour is an issue that can blight communities, according to council officials.

They report that people perceive certain areas to be crime hotspots associated with people congregating to street drink.

GYBC has proposed using funding to improve CCTV coverage and to work alongside Norfolk Police to develop more projects to help drive down antisocial behaviour. 

Funding: £TBC