ERYC are launching the above grant initiative on 8th July . Below are some explanatory details and a link to the website www.loveyourhighstreet.co.uk . The idea of the scheme is to reduce the number of empty shops or increase footfall into selected East Riding towns including Driffield. The minimum total project spend is £1000.00 (ex. VAT) and the maximum is £10,000.00 (ex. VAT). ERYC will grant fund 50%.

Love Your High Street Fund

Notes for applicants.

Thank you for looking at the LYHS fund as a way to help achieve your project to improve the high streets and town centres of the East Riding

The is a prime objectives for the scheme are, to enhance the high streets and town centre areas to smarten-up the frontage look, reduce the number of empty shops, create new vibrant activity, improve the foot fall and help to increase the profitability of the retail sector in doing so.

Overall, the, Healthy High Street Fund will aim to make total grants of around £400,000 per annum to the 13 identified towns, for a three year period, commencing in early Summer 2019

Individual town sums will be influenced by population number, demand and availability of other support funds for the high street

The LYHS fund will be managed by ERYC’s Business, Finance and Funding teams and paid as a matched grant of up to 50% with a minimum grant of £500 and a maximum total grant of £5000 of the agreed, tangible project costs, to reach the common goal of improving the fortunes of the identified East Riding towns and high streets, measured by :-

1) number of vacant shops,

2) foot fall and levels of sales

3) community event / activities

The fund can be used to support new business ventures, fresh thinking about the high streets as a destination and help develop sustainable future growth, by contributing to local activity and business investment.

Examples of what might be supported ( not exhaustive or prescriptive)

Shop frontage

The main aim is to improve the overall look of the town and encourage visitors that they are in a ‘cared-for’ environment…

With age, ad-hoc development, weather, wear and tear, the shop frontage may look less than ‘at its best’. The LYHS fund will help to address this and provide up to £5000.00 or 50% of the total cost of smartening and amending the frontage to suit the vernacular style as part of a bidding process.

The Expression of Interest should show what is proposed and how the improvements will benefit the local are, making it more attractive to visitors.

A local base of ‘preferred craftspeople’ who are familiar with the style and ‘local area look’ to be achieved can then be asked to quote for the work

Submitting EOI and quote(s) with the proposal requesting the grant, may result is a successful application receiving an ‘in principle offer’ for the work to commence work. It is important to wait for the formal offer so that the benefiting client can be sure there is sufficient funding to cover the work.

The craftspeople may require a deposit to buy the necessary materials to finish the job and it is expected that the beneficiary client will provide this - all receipts and guarantees are to be kept for submission ( VAT is not a payable expense where it can be recovered by the beneficiary client )

Upon satisfactory completion of the work, the beneficiary client will need to submit an invoice for 50% of the overall net cost of the work up to a maximum £5000.00, which will be paid into their account once processed and usually within 30 days.

New business start-up

The main aim is to bring new life / excitement / ideas into to the town centre to keep visitors interested and wanting to come back to see what is going on

This isn’t about another 9 to 5, café or hairdressing venture its aim is to create more interest in the town and to appeal to a wider audience, bringing a new demographic or interest into the place for a longer time, which will be sustainable for the future

Taking-on and reinvigorating an otherwise empty high street premise can be costly and meeting the early stages of equipment or internal lighting / décor needs to be done well. The Healthy High Street fund will help to address this and provide up to £5000.00 or 50% of the total cost of improvements

This fund may also be accessed for essential equipment on the same basis, to £5000.00 or 50% of the total cost of improvements…. Minimum grant is £500.00

As part of the grant condition, if the applicant venture has never traded before and there is no track record of success, then the client will need to demonstrate that they have sought some learning about being in business, such as the Open University courses or local start-up workshop attendance with a demonstrable achievement at the end.

Workshops / Networking / Events

The objective is to raise awareness of ‘attractions’ or ‘success stories’ in other areas to help to support initiatives that enhance and improve foot fall and trade in the town

Examples seen in the past have been food festivals, themed days, or special interest activity that draw-in the crowds

There is also the need to share experience and bring good ideas together for the benefit of the local area and this can be done by facilitated workshop activities. Ideas such as the use of social media marketing and modern PR to promote the local area.

Wild-Card activity

High Street improvement schemes have run in the East Riding as recently as 2015 ( currently running a Heritage scheme in Bridlington) and there is some historic data and project evaluations which can offer guidance on the successful activities.

Not all that has been done has worked and not all that will be tried will work either, however new ideas can have as much benefit as the old favourites, so new to market activities which can be seen to improve the attraction of the town centre on a ‘sustainable’ and not a one-off event will be welcomed. The LYHS fund may be able to provide up to £5000.00 or 50% of the direct costs incurred to deliver the activity, should such ideas come forward.

Small items of Street Furniture

Where there is a demonstrable need, siting of benches, improvements in lighting, signage or health benefits then the LYHS fund will help to address this and provide up to £5000.00 or 50% of the total cost of the work.

The EOI stage will need to clearly show why the improvement is required and not likely to be progressed without support of the local partnership

Assistance and advice from the ERYC Streetscene and Planning teams will be sought at an early stage

Joint activity

If a group of businesses want to collaborate in a venture to, for example, paint a parade of shop fronts or site some street furniture, then their combined individual application for grants can contribute up to 50% of the project, subject to the maximum individual £5000.00 business limits

Details of procurement for transparency will need to be addressed in order to ensure the council’s policies are adhered to

Early discussions with the business adviser is necessary to ensure that the scheme is likely to get support and funding

The grant award process

The process of awarding grants, will be the subject of an online Expression of Interest enquiry process, during which the applicant will need to outline their project, demonstrate both it’s suitability for consideration and their ability to fund 50% of the total project cost themselves.

Once having been assessed against a scoring process, to have met the scheme criteria, the successful applicants will be invited to supply a more detailed, online narrative of the proposed project, giving project time scale, delivery information, cash flow management ( grants will only be paid in arrears following the project delivery) and supply three quotes for items to be supported by the LYHS fund.

Panel decision

Once applicants have passed the EOI ( expression of interest ) then they will be invited to full application which is simply to supply more detail for a panel and ensure that the ‘fit’ with the high street is there and sustainable. A full application will require just a little more depth of information but limited to a 1000 word narrative in support the project

At this stage the panel will be asked, beyond any conflict of interest -

1) does this project ‘fit in’ with the existing, overall high street culture and ambience

2) is the project capable of becoming self-sustaining and deliver a growing business or improved high street activity

3) is there any innovative idea(s) that can be developed with other town centres

4) are there cross cutting themes which improve the benefit of this grant investment such as healthy lifestyles and improved quality of the local environment

5) will the applicant provide a strong PR platform for the high street

Guidance notes, should be read thoroughly as the Full Application submission will be scored by a panel made up of senior council officers, elected ward members and a nominated, local town/chamber representative.

Anyone wanting more information should contact Trevor Douglas, Enterprise Coach on 01482 666624 or email trevor.douglas@eastriding.gov.uk

="msonormal">