Town Centre Vibrancy Fund

The Grant

The minimum fund awarded £5,000 whilst the maximum will be £50,000 with an intervention rate of 70%.

The applicant must be bringing an empty ground floor unit back into commercial use and is encouraged to create and/or safeguard jobs.

The funding can only be offered in those cases where the Council is satisfied that without such grant funding the project will not proceed, either on the scale envisaged or within a reasonable time frame.

The amount of the funding offered to each project will be determined by the County Council and will be based on the lowest tendered cost of the approved works which are considered eligible for grant funding.

All applicants will be required to work with one main contractor with a proven track record, alongside supporting professional services as required.

The amount of funding specified in the grant offer letter is the maximum County Council contribution towards the project. In the event of there being any reductions in the cost of the approved works, the County Council will make a pro rata reduction to the amount of grant originally offered.

Funding will normally be awarded exclusive of VAT. If the applicant cannot recover VAT this may be accepted as an eligible cost at the discretion of the County Council, subject to the applicant undertaking to repay to the County Council any VAT element which later becomes reclaimable from HM Customs and Excise as a result of a change in the applicant’s VAT status.