Press Release

Cash boost for Nelson town centre

May 13th, 2009

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has granted £911,000 to Pendle Council for improvements to Nelson town centre.

Funding will be targeted at improving paving surfaces plus new lighting and street furniture in the Memorial Square and Market Street areas near the Town Hall and library.

The improvements will complement previous NWDA investment at office development Number One Market Street and The Ace Centre, which houses a theatre/cinema, conference facilities and a creative workspace.

Mark Hughes, Executive Director, Economic Development for the NWDA, said: “Nelson town centre has seen significant improvements in the last few years. This new funding aims to complement that excellent work, and create an attractive local environment.
“Our investment aims to change perceptions of Nelson, encouraging shoppers to visit and private sector investment to secure a thriving sustainable future."

Memorial Square will be remodelled and will include a new war memorial. The existing memorial will be relocated into a more prominent position in Market Square.

Both Memorial Square and Market Street will be repaved using a combination of natural stone setts and flags which have been quarried in the UK. New street furniture, including benches, lighting and trees, will be added to the remodelled area which will be given a traditional street layout. An automated bollard system will be installed to stop unauthorised vehicles driving on Market Street.

Brian Cookson, Executive Director for Regeneration at Pendle Council, said: “This is one of many exciting projects which will really turn Nelson town centre around.
“We now have Number One Market Street, a new state-of-the-art bus and rail interchange and the Arts, Culture and Enterprise (ACE) Centre is set to open next month. These are all crucial pieces of the jigsaw which will help to attract visitors to the area.”

These improvement works are set to start in June and finish in October.

Councillor Allan Buck, who oversees Economic Development for Pendle, said: “The quality of the local environment is crucial to the image and atmosphere of Nelson town centre. We will do all we can to encourage people to come back to the town to shop and locate their businesses here. This will help residents to gain employment as well as having good quality leisure and commercial facilities.”

The Royal British Legion has welcomed the creation of a new war memorial in the town centre.

George Adam, Chair of the Nelson and District British Legion, said: “The new memorial will recognise the people of Nelson who sacrificed their lives for their country. It will feature the names of all 1,272 local people who died in the World Wars and other conflicts. Nelson has never had such a memorial before and I’m very pleased this has been included in the town centre improvements.”