£20m boost for West End of Morecambe as people get more power to tackle eyesores

A boarded-up shop on Yorkshire Street in the West End of Morecambe

The West End of Morecambe will be given £2m of funding for each of the next 10 years in efforts to regenerate the area.

The government announced the £20m boost on Thursday, and said they want to improve the neighbourhood and put local people at the heart of decision making.

They said the pledge "is designed to bring lasting improvements, empower residents, and help Morecambe’s West End thrive for years to come".

  • Community Right to Buy: handing local people the power to buy beloved assets, helping them turn around derelict pubs, create new parks and regenerate treasured spaces in the heart of their communities.  
  • Compulsory Purchase powers: allowing communities in England to acquire assets and eyesores like boarded up shops and derelict abandoned businesses, allowing new local start-ups to thrive. For larger sites – like disused department stores or abandoned office blocks – it could even see new health centres opening up, or local housing to help reach the government's target of 1.5m homes. 
  • Power to block unwanted shops: empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops, vapes stores and fake barbers.  
  • Giving residents the power: the government said they will only approve spending if community groups, local organisations and social clubs have been included in decisions on how the money should be spent – saying this will put real power in local hands and giving them a proper say over their community.

Read more: Housing on once-thriving Morecambe shopping street gets thumbs down - Beyond Radio

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