OVER £1 million of funding will help improve town centres in Ceredigion.

The Transforming Towns Programme has secured £1.26m to support investment and regenerate a number of town centres, including Aberystwyth, Aberaeron, Cardigan, Lampeter and Tregaron.

The grant is designed to help towns to build back better - to offer flexible support for a wide range of projects including green infrastructure developments to internal and external commercial and residential improvements for business owners.

This funding, alongside other existing Transforming Towns funding aimed to support town centre and traders respond to the Covid-19 by funding adaptations and improve public safety. This will help with recovery efforts from the pandemic - helping to bring new economic opportunity and employment back to the centre of our towns.

Cllr Rhodri Evans, Ceredigion council Cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “I am delighted to see us secure this funding from the Welsh Government to help our towns. Businesses and livelihoods have all been severely impacted from the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has had a lasting and ongoing impact on our town centres.

“Our attention as a council has firmly been on supporting our economy throughout the pandemic through the application of a range of business support measures, and it is heartening now to be able to start focusing on future recovery and growth. While the pandemic is still ongoing, this capital funding stream is a great opportunity to help bring forward activity that will rebuild our town centres to ensure they are safe, welcoming and attractive places to live, work and visit.”

The grant will run for one year and projects must be complete by 1 March 2022. It is available to private businesses, including developers, third sector businesses, and the public sector. However, it is not available to private individuals.