Investment plans are set to be drawn up for 32 towns and service centres across North Yorkshire in a bid to provide a strategic approach to regeneration.
£1.2m in funding will be provided by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to North Yorkshire Council to produce the plans.
Officials say the project will help the council and its partners understand investment priorities and provide a structure for future investment decisions.
Members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive will be asked to accept the grant from the combined authority to support the project at a meeting on Tuesday next week.
The 32 areas chosen for the plans represent 376,431 residents – 61 per cent of the county’s population.
Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Skipton are among the locations that have been selected.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Councillor Mark Crane, said:
“We see these town investment plans as a way to connect our towns particularly those that are often in deeply rural locations.
“They will be used to engage with residents, stakeholders and local businesses to understand key issues and opportunities in their areas.
“Each area has its own character, but they all share the same issues and challenges and these plans will provide the means to shape their futures.”
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said:
“The high streets are changing and we need to stay flexible and forward-thinking to keep pace and help our communities thrive.
“High streets form a central place for our communities to come together, especially in our more isolated areas. Providing better access will be key to unlocking our region’s economic and social potential, creating vibrant spaces for us all to live, work and visit.
“We are all well aware of how diverse our region is, but our towns have common challenges that impact our economy, travel, environment, and health. To counter these, we need to drive investment into our towns’ infrastructure, which is why I provided over £1m to support these plans.
“I look forward to seeing how North Yorkshire Council use this funding, and the positive impact it will have on our region.”
The development of the plans will include an engagement exercise with local councils, businesses and community organisations.
The plans will be developed around key themes, including providing workspaces, revitalising town centres, improving travel options, regenerating cultural and heritage assets, and reducing health inequalities.
The programme will run over a three-year period from May this year.
The 32 locations chosen for the scheme are: Bedale, Bentham, Boroughbridge, Catterick Garrison and Colburn, Easingwold, Eastfield and Cayton, Filey, Grassington and Threshfield, Harrogate, Hawes, Helmsley, Ingleton, Kirkbymoorside, Knaresborough, Leyburn, Malton and Norton, Masham, Northallerton, Pateley Bridge, Pickering, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, Selby, Settle, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Skipton, South Craven, Stokesley, Tadcaster, Thirsk and Whitby.
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