Gloucester secures in the region of £2m High Streets Heritage Action Zone funding

Gloucester City Council has successfully secured £1.9m of funding from Historic England to invest in Westgate Street to make it the Jewel in the City’s crown.

In May 2019, Historic England launched a new multi-million pound fund which
will allow them to work with partners to find new ways to champion and revive
historic high streets through the High Streets Heritage Action Zones scheme.

Westgate Street, Gloucester and 68 other high streets across England have now
been selected to receive a share of the £95 million fund.

The grant will help deliver:
– Public realm improvements to Westgate Street
– Investment in the redevelopment of the Grade 1 and 2 listed Fleece Hotel
– Grants to property owners in Westgate Street to improve the built environment and bring vacant property back into beneficial economic use (including reintroducing homes above existing shops)
= Community engagement through archaeology and education

Cllr Paul James, Leader of Gloucester City Council said: “This is fantastic news for Westgate Street and the city centre as a whole. Westgate Street is our most complete historic street, with the Cathedral, The Fleece and a host of other heritage buildings.  It does need some help to make it the jewel we know that it can be and I’m delighted we have been awarded this grant funding to help it reach its full potential. The award also includes funding for The Fleece, which will boost the efforts we are already making to regenerate this important site.”