The finishing touches are being made to Burnham-On-Sea’s bid to secure a share of a £1million pot of regeneration funding for the town, backed by retail guru Mary Portas.
A group of 23 residents attended a meeting in Burnham’s Princess Theatre on Thursday night (March 22nd), as pictured here, when the results of a town centre survey, filled in by over 200 people, were discussed.
The information is being used to help Burnham’s Town Team write a ‘vision’ for the future of Burnham town centre, which forms a core part of the funding bid.
One of the team, Bev Milner-Simonds, said: “Some of the conclusions from the survey are that there is support for pedestrianisation, more farmer’s markets, extra outdoor eating areas, a better range of shops and many residents do no want the traditional, seaside feel of the town to be altered.”
Alex Turco, who chaired Thursday’s meeting, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Lots of energy and enthusiasm has been shown and we thank those who took part in our survey. There is still lots do do before we finalise our bid, though, over the coming days.”
He added that letters of support are still required from local groups, residents and businesses, which can be sent using this template by email to here by 5pm on March 28th.
A short video to support Burnham’s bid has been filmed in the town earlier this week.
Burnham is competing against dozens of other towns across the country who are all bidding for the chance to resuscitate their faltering high streets with the help of cash from the government scheme led by retail guru Mary Portas.
The £1m pot will be shared out between 12 towns, with successful bids able to receive up to £100,000 plus the benefit of expertise.
The fund, made up of government cash, is one of a series of ideas put forward by Mary Portas in an effort to halt the decline of British high streets as shoppers head to out-of-town superstores and increasingly shop online.
Pictured: Burnham’s Town Team discussing the Mary Portas bid on Thursday
