Empty shops will be bought up and revamped in the latest part of a £16.5 million government scheme aimed at sprucing up Trowbridge high street.

Business owners and landlords in the town centre are invited to apply for funding as part of the £1.2 million Vacant Commercial Units Fund, which was announced by Wiltshire Council earlier this week.

Council Leader Richard Clewer said: "The Future High Streets investment will help transform Trowbridge town centre into a vibrant place to live, work and shop.”

He said the scheme will also support bids to convert upper floors of commercial premises to residential use.

Cllr Clewer hopes the grant scheme will boost the number of visitors, stimulate business and create new jobs in Trowbridge.  

However, Wiltshire Tory Councillor, Antonio Piazza, says the scheme is not enough.

He said: “I think it’s a positive scheme, it’s a shame that more money wasn’t available from the total amount of the money that was bid for, which I think was around £16m, because the rest of the money was put towards the town hall which is £8.5m.

"I think the Vacant Unit Grants Scheme is really good, but it doesn’t really go far enough in my opinion, we need more schemes like that.”  

The newly-announced scheme is part of a wider project to renovate Trowbridge using £16,437,056 given to Wiltshire Council by the government for The Future High Streets Fund Scheme last year. 

The Future High Streets Fund is also being used to upgrade pedestrian and public spaces in the town centre, improve the River Biss corridor, and find a new use for Market Chambers (the old Wetherspoons).  

Cllr Piazza said the fund money was not spent well in June last year too.

He said: “Over the past few weeks, I have been extremely disappointed to hear that hundreds of thousands of pounds, probably rising to millions, will be spent on Atkins and Wiltshire Council widening pavements and making changes to the junction of Church Street and Union Street.”

He said these plans would bring “no economic benefit” to businesses.

The closing date for applications for Vacant Commercial Units Grants Scheme is Friday 24 November, 2023. 

Most of these plans will begin in 2023 and the aim is for the scheme to be completed by March 2024, but this may be extended.

­Click here to find out more about the Vacant Commercial Units Grants Scheme.