TEN Top of the Town traders have each received a £5,000 boost to give the front of their buildings a facelift – thanks to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s new Shop Front Grant Scheme.

Launched earlier this year, the £40,000 council fund has now been awarded to businesses with buildings that face on to the main streets – London Street, Winchester Street, Church Street, Winton Square, Cross Street, Wote Street and Market Place – to improve their appearance.

The small businesses and independent traders which successfully applied for funding up to half of the cost of work needed were:

  • Area 51, Church Street, which will introduce a new sign, window frosting and undergo re-painting and repairs to its wooden frontage
  • Church Street Models, which will receive a contribution towards the cost of reinstating a Victorian awning and to replace the existing lights
  • Foyles Newsagents, London Street, which will install a new shop front and sign
  • Basingstoke Service Centre, Winchester Street, which will repair the shop front and replace the signage
  • Design ACB, London Street, which will receive a contribution towards the renovation of the first floor windows facing on to London Street
  • The Property Explorer, Church Street, which will redecorate the exterior of its property and replace its signage
  • Sansome and George, Winchester Street, which will paint the first and second floor of its building and thoroughly repair the shop front
  • Squirrels Antiques, New Street, which will be replacing its bay windows, front door and sign
  • Skoolkit, Church Street, which will undergo structural work, as a result of water damage, to the front of the building
  • Tea Bar, London Street, may paint their exterior and introduce a new awning.

Councillor Terri Reid, borough Cabinet member for housing and regeneration, who is leading Basingstoke’s Town Centre Programme, said: “By sharing the cost of the improvement works, we’re giving local businesses a helping hand to maintain their buildings whilst improving the look and feel of our town's historic heart.

“Works are set to get underway as a result of the Shop Front Grant Scheme over the next few months, meaning the Top of the Town will soon be an even nicer place to visit.”

Basingstoke’s town centre is in a conservation area and the impact of the works on the local built environment has been carefully considered.

All grants will be paid in arrears on receipt of a final invoice and the appropriate planning permissions, following a final inspection of the works by the council’s principal conservation officer.