£500,000 boost for conservation project in Shepton Mallet

A £500,000 cash boost is being celebrated in Shepton Mallet as the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) award funds to assist conservation work in the market town. Mendip District Council has successfully won a bid for £250,000 from the HLF for a Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) to help bring a new lease of life into some of the town centre's most historic buildings.

The grant will also be match funded by money from Mendip District Council, Shepton Mallet Town Council and Somerset County Council.

Mendip District Council's conservation project officer, Paul Tomlinson, said: "Mendip District Council is delighted to have been successful with its Heritage Lottery Fund bid, it will allow us to build on the good work which has already been done in Shepton Mallet under the Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (HERS) project.

Shepton Mallet will see around £400,000 spent on maintaining and conserving some of the market towns buildings, the remainder of the money will be used to develop training and educational programmes. The local council hopes to work with schools in the area and also develop skills and knowledge fairs in the town aimed at improving residents' understanding of the town's history, and boosting local contractors' knowledge of traditional building materials and knowledge.

Mendip District Council's portfolio holder for regeneration, Cllr John Osman, said: "The funding that has been awarded is great news for Shepton Mallet and the district of Mendip. It is also testament to the hard work that officers have put in to ensuring that this lottery grant was a success. We welcome the backing to help with conservation work in Mendip."

District councillor and chairman of the THI steering group, Cllr John Parham, said: "This is marvellous news for Shepton Mallet, the conservation work will help to make Shepton Mallet a place where people want to come to live, work and visit. The project also demonstrates how committed authorities are at working in partnership to improve prosperity across the district."

Julie Cooper, Acting Head of South West Regionfor HLF, added:

"Historic buildings tell the story of a town, they make it individual and unique, and the best way to save and maintain these heritage gems is to get them back into use. The THI scheme is a great way of using heritage as a springboard for regeneration and investment. We want to maximise the recognition and use of Shepton Mallet's heritage to help attract people and businesses back to the town."

The Townscape Heritage Initiative is a four year project and work will start in 2008 and continue until 2012. It is hoped that the planned educational and training programmes will commence in autumn of this year.