Wiltshire Council has awarded £197,000 to help businesses around the county move into vacant shop units and improve high streets, as part of its Vibrant Wiltshire grants programme.
The Vibrant Wiltshire vacant unit grants are part of the Wiltshire Towns Programme, and can be worth up to £10,000 to help small businesses to occupy previously vacant commercial spaces in town centres across the county. Businesses can either already be trading or looking to start up, and are eligible if they move to a unit that is currently vacant in one of the eligible town centres.
To help more businesses apply for the funding, the council has extended the deadline for businesses to apply for grants to June 14.
Grants have been awarded across 10 towns; Bradford on Avon, Devizes, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Melksham, Pewsey, Royal Wootton Bassett, Trowbridge, Warminster and Wilton. However, high streets in another 12 towns, city or villages are yet to benefit from the grants, so businesses in Amesbury, Calne, Chippenham, Corsham, Cricklade, Downton, Ludgershall, Mere, Salisbury, Tidworth, Tisbury and Westbury could be missing out.
There is a total of £500,000 of Vibrant Wiltshire funding, so nearly 40% has been allocated, but if there is still funding available, applications will reopen at the start of September.
To find out more and apply, businesses should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/vibrant-wiltshire-grants or email Vibrant.Wiltshire@wiltshire.gov.uk.