Sixty-nine businesses across the ABC borough are set to get a fresh lick of paint – and a financial boost – after councillors backed grants for shopfront makeovers under a hugely oversubscribed £70,000 scheme.
ABC Economic Development & Regeneration committee members were delighted to hear, at their September 8 meeting, that 69 rural businesses throughout the borough will be offered grant funding as part of a Borough-Wide Business Paint Scheme.
Infrastructure & Economic Development manager, Elaine Cullen told Council’s regeneration committee members: “The paint scheme was very successful and had over 146 applications. There were 93 applications eligible and we have been able to issue letters of offer. The number of letters of offer that have been issued is 69.
“There is a funding gap and members had asked us to write to the Department for Communities (DfC) to ascertain if any underspend from the [Covid Recovery] Small Settlements [Regeneration] Programme could be utilised.
“The department has advised that they are content to review this. That will allow us to issue 11 further letters of offer through that external funding, but it still leaves a funding gap for projects that are not eligible for that funding, and the number of those is 12.
“The recommendation tonight for members is to note the update on the Borough-Wide Paint Scheme; to note the correspondence issued from ABC Council to the DfC to allow for the additional funding of a further 11 rural applications with a value of £16,400 from the Covid Recovery Small Settlements Programme; to consider giving delegated authority to the director to accept a revised contract for this additional funding; and to consider an additional budget from the Economic Development Services Council budget of £11,332 for a further 12 letters of offer to be issued to all remaining eligible applications on an interim basis, allowing council to issue all letters of offer whilst we await a formal decision from the Department for Communities.”
Committee chair, Councillor Kyle Savage (UUP, Lagan River DEA) remarked: “It’s great to see that we’re in this situation here, especially with 11 rural ones as well.”
He then invited committee members to air their thoughts on the scheme and ask questions. These were addressed later on in the debate by the Infrastructure & Economic Development manager.
Proposing the recommendation, Alderman Ian Burns (UUP, Banbridge DEA) commented: “I think this is a fantastic project and you can see the brightness coming onto the high streets of all the towns, and the fact that it’s going out to the rural areas as well. Brilliant.”
Alderman Paul Greenfield seconded the recommendation, and explained that he wanted unsuccessful applicants to be fully briefed on why they had been turned down for grant funding.
The DUP representative for Banbridge DEA said: “There were 146 applications [received] and 93 eligible. I’m assuming we have gone back to the ones that weren’t eligible and made it fairly clear that, if this comes up again, where the shortfalls were. I know some did fall at different hurdles.”
While welcoming the scheme, Alderman Paul Berry (Independent, Cusher DEA) referred to Markethill, Gilford and Rathfriland, where Environmental Improvement Schemes are ongoing.
He remarked: “I brought this up before in relation to Gilford, Rathfriland and Markethill, who are getting these schemes in place in their different towns. Have the businesses in these three areas been prioritised in relation to this Recovery Small Settlements Programme for painting?”
Councillor Peter Lavery (Alliance, Lurgan DEA) asked for the list of successful applicants to be publicised, as he felt it would be a good PR exercise for ABC Council: “If the list of successful applicants could be presented to committee in due course.
“It’s a very good-news scheme for council. We should be shouting about this and how much we’ll be able to deliver and brighten up the streetscape of those urban villages and town centres.”
Responding to the various queries raised, the Infrastructure & Economic Development manager said: “Alderman Greenfield, the query on returning to ineligible applicants, absolutely, we always go back to the applicants and give them advice, and in the report we have categorised the reasons why [some] applications were ineligible.
“The number was a lot higher than I would have liked, so to give those folks support will be very beneficial moving forward. We have given them advice and we will continue to give them advice and support, because we would like that number to be a lot lower.
“Alderman Berry, in terms of Gilford, Rathfriland and Markethill, yes, those Environmental Improvement Schemes are ongoing. All of those villages were able to apply under the [Paint] scheme and we did get a good number, which was really positive.
“We will continue to liaise with the Department once the Environmental Improvement Scheme is completed to look at other funding opportunities for further public realm works.
“And the final question then, Councillor Lavery. Yes, happy to provide a further update. Just to give members assurance, we will be doing further PR promotion because this is a really good-news story for ABC Council and for the borough, and we’ll be promoting all of those really successful paint schemes. It’s good to hear really good feedback. Thank you.”
Alderman Moutray (DUP, Lurgan DEA) expressed the hope that more support would be offered to small businesses: “I would hope that this scheme will be able to be run again next year, and I would hope that council is able to spend a bigger budget on it because £70,000 isn’t a big amount, when we run many facilities within this council that are costing up to half a million per annum.
“So, I hope that we can look favourably on the small businesses at a time when they’re being crushed by a heartless Labour Government, and try to help them as a local authority.”
Concluding the debate, director of Development, Community & Wellbeing, Paul Tamati said he was hopeful more support would be forthcoming: “Hopefully we’ll be able to run the scheme next year. Obviously, it’s subject to the rate-setting process and so on.
“Approximately just over 18 months ago, members wanted to see us doing more for local businesses, like the shopfront scheme and this Internal Business Improvement Scheme that we’ve put together.
“Obviously, we have a limited budget in terms of council, but we’ll do our best to move forward on such matters and, where we are oversubscribed, and potentially if we have in-year budget at any stage that we can utilise to offset that, that’s what we’ll hope to do.”
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