Council disappointed by delay over Queen Street scheme
Wednesday, 10th November 2010.
None of the businesses in Haverhill's Queen Street which were awarded a total of £30,000 in grants last December to improve their shop fronts has yet done so, and now the time limit on some has elapsed.
Of 11 businesses which applied for the grants made available by St Edmundsbury Borough Council in an effort to improve the appearance of the street, nine were successful, and had grants lined up ranging from £300 to £7,000.
But a report to tomorrow's meeting of the council's Haverhill Area Working Party reveals that none have so far gone ahead.
There was a time limit of six months from the grant being awarded, or six months from planning permission being given, if it was required.
The report says in many cases businesses have found it difficult to apply for the necessary permissions.
It says progress has been 'disappointingly slow' despite a large amount of officer time being given over to the scheme.
Initially officers waited for the work to be done and invoices to be presented to be settled through the grants, but when none came forward, they began to chase up the businesses themselves and offer help.
The lack of a time limit for an application to be submitted had meant there was no urgency shown by businesses, so now the council proposes to set one.
Those businesses which do not submit planning or advertisement applications by March 2011 will lose the grant offer. In many cases applications are now expected soon.
Of 11 businesses which applied for the grants made available by St Edmundsbury Borough Council in an effort to improve the appearance of the street, nine were successful, and had grants lined up ranging from £300 to £7,000.
But a report to tomorrow's meeting of the council's Haverhill Area Working Party reveals that none have so far gone ahead.
There was a time limit of six months from the grant being awarded, or six months from planning permission being given, if it was required.
The report says in many cases businesses have found it difficult to apply for the necessary permissions.
It says progress has been 'disappointingly slow' despite a large amount of officer time being given over to the scheme.
Initially officers waited for the work to be done and invoices to be presented to be settled through the grants, but when none came forward, they began to chase up the businesses themselves and offer help.
The lack of a time limit for an application to be submitted had meant there was no urgency shown by businesses, so now the council proposes to set one.
Those businesses which do not submit planning or advertisement applications by March 2011 will lose the grant offer. In many cases applications are now expected soon.
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