Property owners, developers and tenants encouraged to apply for Property Activation Fund grants

One of eight projects that have been allocated a share of the Town Deal funding that Goole will receive from the Government as part of its ‘Levelling Up’ agenda, the Property Activation Fund aims to make the town centre a more attractive and appealing place to invest in and do business by restoring, refurbishing and, ultimately, reinventing buildings that are empty, under used or in a poor state of repair.

A total of £4.175 million is available to help transform buildings and sites within the town centre and this will be allocated to applicants in three different size brackets – small (up to £20,000); medium (£20,000 to £314,999); and large (above £315,000).

Funding is available to businesses, charities, voluntary sector organisations, learning establishments and public sector organisations in several postcode areas within the town centre. Full details of the eligibility criteria is available in the Property Activation Fund Guidance Document, which will be made available to prospective applicants.

Anyone who would like more information, or to arrange an appointment with the Property Activation Fund team, is asked to email: goolepaf@eastriding.gov.uk. They will then be able to complete an Expression of Interest form, outlining details of their  business/organisation and the project that they’re seeking funding for. The information provided will be subject to a series of checks to ensure that the business and proposal are eligible. Once this has been confirmed, eligible applicants will then be invited to submit a full application, using the Guidance Document to help them.

There will be a first opportunity for local people to chat to the Property Activation Fund team when they attend an event taking place at RaisE Business Centre on Tom Pudding Way, Goole on Wednesday 5 July, from 8am to 12 noon. Organised by Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and aimed at small to medium enterprises (SMEs) based in Hull and East Yorkshire, the event is an opportunity to find out more about a wide range of grants and loans available to eligible businesses, including the Property Activation Fund. To register to attend this free event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/funding-opportunities-for-smes-in-hull-east-yorkshire-tickets-660937992327

The Property Activation Fund team will also be attending and arranging further events in the Goole area during the coming months, details of which will be widely publicised to enable as many local property owners as possible to go along and find out more.

Andrew Hewitt, Regeneration Project Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “There are two stages to the application process and the first of these is a really quick and simple Expression Of Interest stage. Eligible applicants will then be asked to submitted a full application, which will be appraised by the delivery team and then considered by the Property Activation Fund Investment Panel. Both stages of the application process can be completed via the council’s online Flexigrant Portal.

“We’ll be looking to allocate grants of various sizes to sites and premises within the eligible postcode areas as part of our aim to regenerate Goole town centre, finding new uses for sites and creating new attractions to boost footfall and fuel economic growth.”

In June 2021, Goole received confirmation that it had secured a £25 million slice of the Government’s Town Deal funding after submitting an ambitious Town Investment Plan aimed at achieving economic growth, giving all of the town’s residents equal access to training and job opportunities, improving connectivity to and around the town, building a sense of pride in Goole and making its town centre a hub of activity. The plan also includes objectives around making Goole a place where both people and businesses want to settle, and an environmentally responsible town.

For more information about the eight projects allocated a share of the Goole Town Deal funding, including the Property Activation Fund, visit: The Goole Town Deal website.