Denton MP ‘delighted’ by regeneration cash confirmation.

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Gorton and Denton, received formal confirmation today from Ministers that the full £17m Levelling-Up Fund money would be allocated to Tameside Council.

The ‘Destination Denton’ bid had been prepared by Andrew Gwynne in conjunction with the Council as part of the previous Government’s Levelling Up Fund round two bids, but had been rejected. It was, however, successful in the round three process.

Given the General Election and change of Government, only an initial £3m was approved this March for spending, ahead of the Spending Review. Now Ministers have agreed that the remainder of the £17m can be released to the council, meaning the full scheme can go ahead. The MP received confirmation in a letter from Ministers today (30 July).

The Destination Denton initiative hopes to breathe new life into the town centre with significant improvements to the street scene, improved active travel enhancements, better linkages to, and improvements in, Victoria Park, the refurbishment of the Festival Hall and Pennine Lounge for community use, and bringing forward new residential opportunities. It’s also hoped that the £17m can be utilised to help leverage in additional funding from Historic England, Sport England, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and other pots, to maximise what further improvements can be done.

Commenting, a delighted Andrew Gwynne MP said “This is great news. £17m for Denton Town Centre is significant and the confirmation today makes all my lobbying of Ministers worthwhile. 

“Denton had a lot going for it, and we are already seeing entrepreneurs already investing in the town with developments like the rooftop expansion at Vault 2, the Hatters Square food hall as well as great existing food and drink offers like Ornella’s, Cafe Plus, Istanbul Grill and many more.

“I really hope Tameside makes maximum use of the LUF money for the town and uses it as seed funding to bring even more cash into Denton. I’ll be working closely with Denton’s councillors, Tameside officers and central government officials to make sure this is a success. Our time has come!”.