The Chairman of the Long Eaton Town Board has backed a decision by all bar one of its members to close down a proposed £5.59m Box Office cultural hub development in favour of securing the remaining regeneration projects in the town and to resurrect the previously mothballed Britannia Road Canal Bridge as part of the Long Eaton Walking and Cycling project
A statement issued via Erewash Borough Council said that the decision to axe the cultural hub project had not been taken lightly by the board which is made up of independent members from the Long Eaton business and voluntary community as well as representation from the local authority and other organisations.
An agreement was reached to reallocate the £5.59m to other projects in a bid to help offset rising inflation and other cost pressures.
Other projects set to benefit from a cash injection will include the Galaxy Row development - the site of the former Galaxy Cinema in Derby Road - receiving an additional £0.68m plus the Long Eaton High Street and Derby Road Junction projects which will receive a further investment of £1.7m and £1.6m respectively to mitigate inflationary and other cost pressures.
The Britannia Road Canal Bridge, previously withdrawn due to a lack of funds will now be reinstated thanks to reallocated support of £1.61 million and will offer what is being described as a "much welcome" addition to the Long Eaton Walking and Cycling project.
Richard Ledger, Chairman of the Long Eaton Town Board, said: “Whilst it has been an extremely difficult decision to close the Box Office Cultural Hub project, we are pleased to see the Britannia Road Canal Bridge reinstated and the reallocated funding helping to secure other developments that have been challenged by rising inflation and other cost pressures. I look forward to sharing progress in the near future as the Board continues to work hard to make a real difference and deliver regeneration for Long Eaton.”
More information can be found at www.longeatontowndeal.org
As the projects move forward they are subject to change, taking account of external factors that are beyond the control of the Long Eaton Town Board.