Bury Market receives £10m funding boost in Budget
BBCThe government will contribute a further £10m towards the restoration of Bury town centre, Chancellor John Healey has announced during his first Budget.
The money will be invested in the Bury Market project as part of the government's Growth Mission Fund.
More than £33m has so far been invested in the Greater Manchester town's market area, including a £20m grant from the Conservative government in 2024.
"Securing this funding has taken sustained work by the council - with the support of MP James Frith's campaigning in parliament," said Bury councillor Charlotte Morris. "It's a fantastic result for Bury - Bury Market is the jewel in our town centre's crown."
Bury Council said the latest funding announcement would build on the town's long-term regeneration plans and address the former Indoor Market Hall's condition and enable its future use.
The Indoor Market Hall closed in October 2023 following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Since then, new outdoor market canopies have been erected and a new food, drink and events venue is due to open in November.
The local authority said the new £10m investment would also support its plans for new homes to be built in the area south of the market and to create better links to shops, services and public transport.
It said it would also support investment into Mill Gate, for which more than £24m was secured from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority earlier this month.
"The £10m is not the start of a new regeneration programme," the council said.
"It is the latest investment secured to accelerate a long-term plan already being delivered across Bury town centre.
"Together, these projects will better connect the market with the wider town centre, support inclusive growth by creating opportunities for local people and businesses, and give residents and visitors more reasons to shop, work and spend time in Bury.
"Bury Market is the jewel in our town centre's crown. Generations have shopped, traded and built businesses here, and we know how much people have missed the Indoor Market since its closure."
Elsewhere in the north-west of England, £20m from the Growth Mission Fund was allocated in the Budget to the restoration of the Littlewoods site in Liverpool.
According to the government, the new Edge Lane site is set to become a 260,000 square foot creative campus for film, TV, gaming, immersive technology and digital screen industries.
The Growth Mission Fund was set up to invest £240m between 2026-27 and 2029-30 in schemes designed to boost job creation and the economic regeneration of local communities.
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