The Buttercross in Ludlow had continued funding for a further six months approved to enable the completion of an exciting project to open up the space to new uses. The remaining £73,460 of the original £120,000 allocation will be used to complete the project.

Oswestry had £24,000 remaining from their original allocation of £650,000, and has been granted another six months to use the funding to complete important town centre projects.

Five Market Drayton town centre retail grant projects totalling £41,000 have been granted another six months to complete.

In Bridgnorth the Town Steps and Riverside regeneration schemes have been granted a further six months to complete £74,417 of revitalisation spending.

Additionally, in Bridgnorth a total of £100,000 has been approved for the Shop Front Scheme and the Way Finding scheme; both of which had not yet started when the Market Towns Revitalisation Programme was due to complete. These two projects have been granted a 12 month extension to ensure Bridgnorth receives the full benefit of the funding.

A further three projects – in Church Stretton, Minsterley and Pontesbury, and Cleobury Mortimer – have been awarded continuation funding. These are, respectively, a shop grant in Church Stretton; cycling and walking improvements in Pontesbury and Minsterley; and the opening up of new employment land in Cleobury Mortimer.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for the programme, said:

“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to extend the Market Towns Revitalisation Programme to enable these important projects to be completed, as each of these schemes will help to provide a real boost to the economy of their respective town.”

The Market Towns Revitalisation Programme was launched in 2010 and made £3.5m available to help boost job growth and footfall in Shropshire’s market towns and rural communities.

More than 70 projects have been awarded funding over the last four years.