Richard Ledger, chairman of the Long Eaton Town Board, has backed a decision by all of its members bar one to close down the proposed £5.59 million Box Office Cultural Hub development in favour of securing remaining regeneration projects and to resurrect the previously mothballed Britannia Road Canal Bridge as part of the Long Eaton Walking and Cycling project.
The decision “was not taken lightly” by the board, which is made up of independent members from the Long Eaton business and voluntary community as well as representation from the local authority and other organisations. It was agreed at the meeting that the £5.59m would be reallocated to other projects to help offset rising inflation and other cost pressures.
The other projects that will benefit from a much welcomed cash injection will include the Galaxy Row development receiving an additional £0.68m; the Long Eaton High Street and Derby Road Junction projects will receive a further investment of £1.7m and £1.6m respectively to mitigate inflationary and other cost pressures.
The Britannia Road Canal Bridge, previously withdrawn due to a lack of funds, will now be reinstated thanks to reallocated support of £1.61 million and will offer a much welcome addition to the Long Eaton Walking and Cycling project.
Richard Ledger, chairman of the Long Eaton Town Board, says: “Whilst it has been an extremely difficult decision to close the Box Office Cultural Hub project, we are pleased to see the Britannia Road Canal Bridge reinstated and the reallocated funding helping to secure other developments that have been challenged by rising inflation and other cost pressures. I look forward to sharing progress in the near future as the Board continues to work hard to make a real difference and deliver regeneration for Long Eaton.”
