A £2.25 million investment is set to regenerate Bangor’s High Street by attracting new businesses, encouraging visitors and providing more local homes.
Cyngor Gwynedd has secured almost £1 million from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme to implement the Bangor Empty Property Initiative (BEPI) pilot scheme in the city. Together with support from Cyngor Gwynedd’s Town Centre Loans Fund, Welsh Government funding and contributions from the private sector, the next step in the plan to tackle the large number of empty properties in the city centre will be realised.
Unfortunately, like many other towns and cities across Britain, Bangor has seen an increase in the number of vacant shops over recent years, especially since the Covid pandemic. The quality of many of the buildings has also deteriorated over time and this combination has led to concern about the look and feel of the High Street.
To tackle this, Cyngor Gwynedd has developed a register of empty properties and has contacted their owners directly, who have reported that a lack of financial support is an obstacle for them to be able to redevelop.
With Welsh Government funding now secured, the Council can begin to work with the owners who engaged with the Pilot Scheme to support property development projects. Grants of up to £200,000 will be available to those owners who are part of the pilot – and who have been in ongoing talks over the past few months – to refurbish and adapt their buildings to be more appealing to new businesses and tenants.
It is hoped that the pilot scheme will encourage greater mixed use of High Street buildings – that is, to help building owners redevelop it into a combination of commercial units such as shops and cafes on the ground floor with apartments on the top floors. This will help breathe new life into the High Street and regenerate the city centre in the long term.
Councillor Medwyn Hughes, Cyngor Gwynedd Cabinet Member for Economy and Community, said: “Empty properties remain a pressing challenge for our towns and communities, and nowhere is this more evident than in Gwynedd’s only city and its important sub-regional centre. This initiative marks a significant step forward in tackling these issues by working closely with property owners and re-establishing channels of communication that may have been lacking in the past.
“Our hope is that the Bangor Empty Property Initiative will not only play a vital role in the regeneration of Bangor, but also create a model that can be replicated across Gwynedd.”
The Bangor Empty Property Initiative is delivered by Cyngor Gwynedd as part of the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, which invests in the regeneration of town and city centres across Wales.
Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, said: “I am delighted that that the Welsh Government is supporting the Bangor Empty Property Initiative, which will bring lasting benefits for local people, businesses, and visitors alike – delivering the sustainable regeneration that our communities need and deserve.”
“The Welsh Government’s regeneration strategy is supporting communities across Wales, including in Bangor, by bringing more empty homes back into active use and breathing new life into our town and city centres.”
