The Council has to work in partnership with others to improve the Town Centre, the Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) is a good example.
Your Poole People councillors were successful in winning a Historic England HAZ grant for renovations to historic buildings down the high street. Cllr Mark Howell was instrumental in the bid, and Cllr Andy Hadley has been involved in the Board overseeing the work. This is a 4 year project, completing in 2024.
Working with owners of historic buildings, and the businesses using them, this has enabled replacement of some shop fronts, repairs to roofs, and other works to enhance the streetscene, and protect these buildings, some of which are over 400 years old.
The HAZ grant was match funded by Community Infrastructure Levy funds, and then made partial match fund contributions to over 20 individual projects, from Pi at the Quay to Beech Hurst near the railway crossing.
A cultural programme included
- a new mural of Philip Henry Gosse, a marine biologist who lived in Poole in childhood,
- a discovery trail poolehighstreetculture.co.uk
- a community play to take place in July 2023
Several other murals are now planned around the Old Town as a result.
The grant also helped to fund improvements to street lighting in the Old Town, repainting street furniture, and the works on Poole Museum and Scaplens Court.
Poole Business Improvement District (BID) was also an active partner in this work.