£19.9 million to transform Canterbury city centre (Levelling Up Fund 2)
Almost £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund has been awarded to Canterbury City Council to regenerate the city centre.
Levelling Up funding will be spread across three projects that will make the city centre more attractive and improve its sustainability.
Transforming Canterbury’s heritage sites
Levelling Up funding will go towards renovating key heritage sites in Canterbury.
The works include:
- renovating Norman Castle with key repairs and improving accessibility, making it free and open to the public
- safeguarding the Poor Priests Hospital site to ensure the buildings future and help the Marlowe Theatre Trust in continuing to deliver creative courses for young people
- transforming the public squares so they can hold events and activities
Cabinet member for heritage, Cllr Charlotte Cornell, said about the castle keep:
We are excited to be underway with this element of the Levelling Up project. It’s vital we understand exactly what condition the castle is in at the moment and can plan the improvement work accordingly. Throughout this we will be working closely with Historic England and tapping into their expert knowledge to make sure we get the very best results.
Creating a Green Arrival Experience
Entrances to the city will be improved to be greener and more welcoming. Castle Row car park, Longport car park, St Radigund car park and Canterbury bus station will have:
- more planting, better lighting and signage
- new bus shelters
- electric vehicle charging, E-bike docking stations and better bike facilities
- better connections to the city walls
Canterbury’s Story Gardens
Nine city centre gardens will be created for holding events and activities.
The spaces will include:
- new landscaping and plants
- new seating and signage
- bike hire and storage
New cycling and pedestrian routes will also be created that connect people to heritage sites around the city centre. An app for smartphones will showcase the hidden stories of Canterbury and its historic buildings
Find out more about Levelling Up in Canterbury
Find out more about Levelling Up