Coastal towns bid for £400k support

Seaside towns from across Cornwall have come up with “impressive” ideas to drive their economies forward.

The Cornwall Seaside Towns programme now has 18 initial applications in a bid to gain a total of £400k of funding.

The money will be used to support seaside towns with a focus on jobs, business and regeneration.

The initial applications have come from a variety of voluntary and community groups along with statutory bodies and range from promenade improvements in Looe to a lobster festival in Padstow and a skateboard park in Penzance.

Chris Ridgers, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “I’ve been very impressed with the creativity and confidence shown in the initial applications from different groups. There are some great ideas coming forward from people with expert knowledge of the communities in which they live and I look forward to reviewing the full applications.”

The deadline for the full bids to be received by the Seaside Towns programme is September 30, when they will go before a decision panel made up of representatives from Cornwall Council, Cornwall Development Company and Visit Cornwall.

The programme is funded by Cornwall Council’s capital programme and the Department for Communities and Local Government.