Greater Manchester has been awarded almost £60m in the latest round of Levelling Up funding.
Wigan, Oldham, and Trafford have all been successful in bids to secure grants from a £2.1bn government pot. Some £672m was earmarked to develop better transport links, while £821m has been set aside to kick-start community regeneration, and £594m has been awarded to restore local heritage sites.
The successful bids announced today (Wednesday, January 18) follows the allocation of £1.7 bn to 105 projects in the UK from round one of the Levelling Up Fund in 2021.
READ MORE : Full list of every UK project getting cash in round two of Levelling Up
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the funding will 'build a future of optimism and pride in people's lives and the places they call home', while Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said the money will 'revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential'.
Shadow Levelling Up Secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy slammed the scheme as 'chaos'.
"It is time to end this Hunger Games-style contest where communities are pitted against one another and Whitehall ministers pick winners and losers," she added.
Here are all of the successful bids in Greater Manchester from round two of the Levelling Up fund:
Wigan
One of Wigan’s most historic landmarks Haigh Hall will receive a £20m rejuvenation. Wigan council will use the funding to restore the Grade II-listed building and its surroundings to their ‘former glory’. They hope it will make the site a popular destination for culture, community, events and hospitality once more.
The hall, which was built around 1840, stands as an iconic building amid the picturesque surroundings of Haigh Woodland Park. In recent years it has played a role on the small screen, popping up as a location in popular Sky comedy-drama Brassic.
According to the Wigan council plans, a new world class dining experience, an underground bunker cinema, an art gallery for ‘Theodore Major’s visionary work’, and a rooftop terrace for astronomy are all set to become a reality. In addition to the ‘five floor masterplan’ to restore the hall itself, the derelict gateway lodges are set for a revamp as well.
With the cinema room being used for special exhibitions and a children’s matinee on weekends, it is unlikely to be showing all the latest blockbusters. However, it will be part of a multi-platform experience provided by Haigh Hall.
A derelict zoo on School Lane, just off the main complex, would also be transformed into a new visitors attraction and learning centre. The new ‘multi purpose garden pavilion’ and education and training hubs will provide more activity space.
Oldham
Oldham has been given a £20m boost to create a 'Green Technology and Innovation Network'. The government has granted the cash to the borough with the aim of boosting the borough’s ambition to become a ‘top destination for green businesses’.
The winning bid, which covers the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency, was put forward by the council last summer to support the borough’s ‘green new deal’ commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030. It will enable the creation of new spaces for green businesses and a new Learning Centre offering vocational courses to strengthen environmental skills.
The Levelling Up cash will also fund a ‘Green Shoots Centre’ which would be a new business centre to support environment technology start-ups based at Rhodes Bank. The money will also be used to develop a learning centre at the Northern Roots site, the project that will become the UK’s largest urban farm on land at Snipe Clough near Alexandra Park.
Bosses say the learning centre will provide training linked to green and sustainable skills, supporting the Green Shoots Centre. It would also be used as an educational centre to help strengthen environmental skills through vocational courses. And a new path for pedestrians and cyclists, the ‘Oldham greenway’ will be created to link the Green Shoots Centre with Northern Roots and the new Jubilee Park being built in the town centre.
Trafford
Trafford got the smallest share of funding in Greater Manchester, with around £18.3m allocated to the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village.
Trafford Council had initially asked for £46m in total, with bids to transform Sale town centre and 'connect Trafford’s cultural, arts, heritage and green networks from Dunham Massey to Trafford Park' unsuccessful.
However, the successful bid to refurbish Partington Sports Village, in Chapel Lane, is likely to lead to the resurfacing of the 3G football pitch, and the building of another pitch. A dedicated health and wellbeing hub will also be created.
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