Grant scheme helps regenerate businesses in Wrexham

A Wrexham businesses is one of more than 40 in north Wales to undergo improvement works thanks to the Property Development Grants (PDGs).

£966,000 was awarded to local authorities across the region by the Welsh Government to help improve commercial units and empty buildings in their towns and city centres.

The PDGs were delivered as part of the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme to support regeneration and enhance town centre properties.

Grant awards have been used to support property owners and occupiers to make improvements to their premises and bring vacant, commercial floor space back into beneficial business use.

The total investment for the Property Development Grants in the region is £1.536m.

Across 10 towns a total of 45 properties were improved, with 12 of those properties returning to active use.

In Wrexham Henry’s Barbers, on Charles Street, used the grant to help refresh the property – making the business more inviting and attractive to new and returning customers.

In addition to the exterior improvements, the internal updates have reduced running costs and safeguarded existing jobs.

Across north Wales other projects that benefitted from the grant include the external refurbishment of a former Woolworths building in Denbighshire.

The building is a prominent fixture of Rhyl High Street and thanks to the grant funding has seen extensive external improvements to the windows, shutters, tiles as well as a full re-paint of the building.

In Flintshire, the internal and external refurbishment of a vacant commercial unit in Shotton has provided additional shop floor space and a storage area.

Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, Jayne Bryant, said: “Through our Transforming Towns programme we are providing invaluable support to towns and city centres to create employment opportunities for local people and bringing vibrancy to our high streets.

“It’s wonderful to see the huge impacts these small grants are already having across North Wales and I hope by improving our town centre offers in Wales we can help safeguard and develop Welsh based businesses and encourage economic growth.”