INVESTING in towns and villages is ‘absolutely key’ to maintaining the island’s position as an attractive place to live and to invest in, Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK says.
The government’s Town and Village Regeneration Scheme was launched in 2009 and made up to £8m available for projects to bring back the buzz to high streets.
Some 68 projects have already benefited from funding and several more bids are in the pipeline.
And a number of larger scale projects are currently being progressed by the regional regeneration committees, and residents should soon start to see significant changes.
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Mr Bell said: ‘Investing in our towns and villages is absolutely key to maintaining the island’s position as an attractive place to invest in and to live in.
‘The cash injection means local authorities and businesses can attract more people to their area, boost local economic growth and bring the buzz back to their high streets.’
He added: ‘This is just the beginning. With up to £7m left to spend, huge changes are on the horizon for some of our towns and villages, changes that will not only enhance but also intensify the character, colour and identity of those places we call home.’
Regeneration zones and plans have been established in Douglas, Peel, Ramsey, Castletown, Laxey, Port Erin and Port St Mary.
Two of the larger projects to be undertaken have seen makeovers of The Lanes in Ramsey and the upper section of Nelson Street in Douglas.
Other highlights include the transformation of a derelict building in Peel’s Market Place into a new Manx Wildlife Trust shop, the refurbishment of Laxey’s Heritage Shop, a new shop front at the former Bookstore premises in Douglas, and timber fencing and planted containers in the area around the Lord Street bus stops.
In Ramsey, attention will now turn to the area around the Courthouse and Market Hill.
The work on upper Nelson Street, Douglas, has been used to showcase some of the building materials, paving slabs, street furniture and public art before work progresses down lower Nelson Street and Wellington Street into the central retail area.
Douglas regeneration committee chairman David Cretney MHK said: ‘Douglas is the main gateway to the Isle of Man, as well as its commercial heart and economic hub, so it is in all our interests to ensure a bright, prosperous and sustainable future for the capital.’