New funding worth £3m has been awarded to the regeneration of a West Midlands town centre.
The Old Town in Leamington Spa is undergoing a £45.5 million project to create new modern workspaces for the area's creative digital sector.
It has now been boosted by £3 million in fresh funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Complex Development Projects (CDP), which has offices in Coventry and London, is leading the project to restore and convert three rundown buildings off Spencer Street, including the Grade II listed United Reformed Church.
The Neo-Classical style church, which dates back to 1838, has stood empty and unused for decades and will be fully restored along with two neighbouring buildings, the Crown building and a former nursery.
This additional funding will enable CDP to continue the renovation work to create 18,000 sq ft of modern office space, work on which first started at the turn of this year.
Known as the 'Spencer Yard' scheme, it is expected to create more than 140 jobs and forms the first project in a ten-year partnership programme alongside Warwick District Council which has already received backing from the Government's Future High Street Fund.
The partnership between the council and developer has been struck to deliver the wider Creative Quarter initiative which will see the Old Town regenerated as a destination for creative businesses.
Multiple projects are planned to transform the area and take advantage of the town's reputation for creative digital enterprise which has seen it nicknamed 'Silicon Spa'.
CDP's managing director Ian Harrabin said: "The funding provided by the combined authority has been instrumental in enabling this project to be delivered in this difficult financial climate.
"Digital creative companies are attracted to Leamington because of the character and vitality of its town centre and the quality of life that helps them attract the best employees.
"But there is very little space available and this project is the first of several to help satisfy this demand. It is great we have not only been able to save important heritage but also give it an economic life that will secure its future."
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street added: "Spencer Yard is another wonderful example of how we are helping to unlock scores of sites that were previously considered too difficult to deliver.
"Thanks to the substantial funding we've secured from the Government for our brownfield-first approach to development, we've been able to restore historic buildings like Leamington's United Reform Church - repurposing the space to meet the needs of cutting-edge 21st century industries while preserving it for future generations to enjoy.
"Digital is the golden thread that increasingly runs right through all aspects of the modern working world and is central to building the high-skilled, high-wage economy of the future.
"We will continue to work with Warwick District Council - and indeed other local authorities - to regenerate derelict sites and drive economic growth in the months and years ahead."
