OFFICIALS at Northumberland County Council have provided an update on the seven towns benefitting from the Borderlands Deal.

Bedlington, Alnwick, Newbiggin, Prudhoe, Rothbury and Haltwhistle are all part of the Borderlands Place Programme. As such, they are eligible to receive up to £3 million per town to fund improvement projects.

According to a county council report, to unlock the funding, each town must go through a process to create a so-called “place partnership”, bringing together public, private and community partners to shape the development of a “Place Plan” for their town. The seven towns in Northumberland are each at varying stages of this process.

At Monday’s meeting (November 25) of the council’s corporate services and economic growth scrutiny committee, members were told that the place plans for Alnwick, Newbiggin, Bedlington and Prudhoe had been “endorsed”, while the other three towns were expected to receive endorsement in December.

Once a place plan is endorsed, work is required to develop a “pipeline” of potential projects.

At an “appropriate stage of development”, funding can be sought via a Borderlands Town Investment Plan (BTIP) alongside other funding sources such as the council or lottery cash.

There has been frustration at the slow progress of the Place Programme funding. The Borderlands Deal was signed on March 18 2021, but so far the Place Programme has not delivered any projects in the county.

The council’s head of regeneration, David Warburton, attempted to explain the perceived lack of progress.

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He said: “There is no shortage of good ideas. Building partnerships and trust is really difficult, particularly when there is competition over which idea is best.

“We have got to make sure these are the right investments. We have a duty to make sure this money is invested wisely.

“There is a large amount of money there but it has to be invested wisely. We know communities want to see results very quickly, but we have to keep the faith with the process. The team is working incredibly hard.”

The current stage for each town is as follows:

Bedlington

Bedlington’s place plan was endorsed in December 2023. Three projects have been prioritised for funding – a £220,000 “heritage and innovation themed café” on the platform of the new Bedlington Station to “celebrate the rich heritage” of Bedlington as the “birthplace of modern day rail”. This project benefits from a council-funded feasibility study and there is potential for delivery next year, including match funding from the Railway Heritage Trust.

The other projects involve improvements to the public realm and connectivity, with a study set to be commissioned. Councillors in town have previously called for improved leisure facilities.

Alnwick

Alnwick’s place plan was also endorsed last December. Five proposals in the town are currently prioritised for funding, focusing on boosting the town centre offer.

The largest is an ambitious £3.5 million project to build on the existing, award-winning offer of the Bailiffgate Museum offer. Additional funding is being sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

There is also a package of public realm and connectivity improvements for the town centre, including improvements to the marketplace. In addition, there is “potential” for further investment in the Alnwick Playhouse, proposals for a STEM and Innovation Hub and proposals for the town’s bus station.

Newbiggin

The final place plan to be endorsed at the end of last year, Newbiggin also has five projects prioritised for BTIP development. These focus on boosting the visitor economy by linking the town centre with the assets in the bay area.

The improvements will “potentially” include new and enhanced tourism and business facilities, as well as linked public realm and connectivity projects. Proposals for the town are currently being scoped out further.

Prudhoe

Prudhoe is slightly further behind the three previous towns – the place plan was only endorsed in autumn of this year. However, there are already five projects in the pipeline – three of which are being prioritised for BTIP development.

The most significant project concerns the town’s East Centre, with proposals for a £4 million youth and community facility. The plans have been brought forward by the Prudhoe Community Partnership. Other projects concern a “package” of other town centre improvements, with further design work underway.

It is hoped a BTIP application for the East Centre proposals will be developed by next autumn.

The following three towns are yet to have their plans endorsed:

Rothbury
Rothbury’s place plan has been finalised for submission, with hopes it will receive endorsement next month. Two proposals are already in development, including the development of a “business hub” in the town centre and improvements to visitor infrastructure.

Haltwhistle
Like Rothbury, it is hoped that Haltwhistle’s place programme will be endorsed next month.

Six projects are currently being developed, including a number of new community, youth and enterprise facilities in the town centre as well as visitor economy-related proposals – such as an interactive trail from the town to nearby Hadrian’s Wall.

Bellingham
Bellingham’s place plan has been finalised and is seeking endorsement before the end of the year. Four projects are in development, including plans to redevelop tourism assets such as the old station yard alongside enhancements to the existing heritage centre.

Other proposals centre around potential developments of “other sites” for housing and other community facilities, along with public realm and connectivity improvements.