Restoration grants to transform Tewkesbury high street properties
New grant funding will bring substantial improvements to high-profile properties overlooking Tewkesbury’s war memorial, bringing them back into use as residential dwellings.
The properties at 156 High Street and 1 Barton Street comprise Peter Ball Estate Agents and the upper floors above.
The public funding will be matched by the properties’ owner to carry out a complete renovation of the three vacant upper floors and deliver two new flats with their own entrance from Tysoe’s Court.
The funding has been secured by Tewkesbury’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), a partnership between Tewkesbury Borough Council and Historic England to invest £1m in the regeneration of the historic town centre.
The works will also see a traditional shop front reinstated at 1 Barton Street in keeping with others in the street, and an enhanced shop front installed to Peter Ball Estate Agents. The windows will be refurbished or replaced, and the original sash window will be reinstalled at first-floor level.
This funding follows grant-aided improvements to CGT Lettings at 3 Church Street that were carried out earlier this year.
For those concerned about the Frisby’s name plaque, which is estimated to have been installed in the 1960s, this will be carefully removed to allow the original window aperture to be re-opened. It will then be cleaned and placed within the shop premises.
Rebecca Horton from RLH Management looks after running of these properties. She said: “We’re thrilled to see this work starting. A project like this takes a lot of time to plan and prepare, but we believe it will make a huge contribution to the attractiveness of the town centre.”
More grants have been approved along Tewkesbury High Street, Barton Street and Church Street over recent weeks, bringing the total grant funding offered by the HSHAZ to £324,221. These grants include offers to Alexander Burn Funeral Directors for the replacement of their shop front, and improvements to the signage and upper storeys of properties from 104 to 112 High Street.
Councillor Richard Stanley, Leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “It’s exciting to see the many months of work undertaken by the HSHAZ becoming visible in Tewkesbury town centre. With these grants, the HSHAZ shows that we can make a really positive difference to the way Tewkesbury looks by working in partnership with property owners and other stakeholders.”
The HSHAZ scheme comes to an end in March 2024. To ensure all grant-funded works can be completed before the end of the scheme, future grant applications must be received by 1 September 2023.
To apply for a grant, or if you have any questions about making an application, visit our high street heritage action zone webpages.
