The recovery of our Town Centres took a big step forwards this week. These important local businesses are giving returning customers a warm welcome, with staff at the door sharing news and updates on their safe shopping set-up. The buzz is returning and hope of better times ahead is being encouraged thanks to your goodwill and patience – many, many thanks for this vital support.
For those who have not yet ventured back, rest assured that the new road layout is working well in Leamington, helpfully enabling careful queueing and safe social distancing. Updates on these arrangements can be found on our website here, so please check before you go into town to ensure you have a positive visit to our brilliant town centres.
Don’t forget too, that all our Town Centre off-street carparks are free until the beginning of August. Please double check before you leave your car, as charges are still being made to use private car parks and for on-street parking.
When you visit our Town Centres you’ll probably notice that some homeless people are finding their way back to ask for money. Your actions can make a big difference here, so rather than give your money directly and undo the good work that has gone on over these past months, if you’d like to help please donate to Meaningful Change – Royal Leamington Spa. Touch-in gift points are set-up to make it easy for your gifts that will directly fund long-term support to help our local homeless people to turn their lives around.
During the coronavirus emergency we’ve already accommodated 38 homeless people and are determined to not go back to where we were. Rest assured that working with local agencies at William Walsgrove hostel, P3, Salvation Army, Helping Hands, Cyrenians and the LWS Night Shelter our homeless are being provided with the support they need for their mental and physical wellbeing to ensure they are not forced to return to the streets.
Positive steps are also being taken with our local Recovery Plan. We’re pleased to update you on some key projects which have made progress this week, bringing forward jobs and other long-term benefits:
- Whitnash Town Council gave the go ahead for Deeley Construction Ltd to build a new Civic Centre and Library. The designs and funding are now in place, to provide a much-needed community facility for the people of Whitnash, local groups and organisations.
- In Leamington Spa, six new affordable homes will be built on a brownfield site, to a new energy efficient standard using low carbon construction methods. This marks the beginning of a programme to increase the number of environmentally friendly, Council-owned properties, which can then be offered as affordable housing at social-rent levels. The new homes on land east of Turpin Court in the centre of Leamington Spa will provide two, 1-bedroom bungalows and four, 2-bedroom properties with electric charge points, plot-specific cycle storage and accessible parking bays.
- To give vital support to our small businesses, we’ve extended the deadline to apply for the discretionary grant scheme to Monday 22 June at 10am. If you are a small business, or know a small business needing help, for more information on completing a grant application please visit our website here.
You’ll hopefully also be pleased to know that the coronavirus has not dimmed our ambition to plant a tree for every one of our residents in the District. We believe that our tree planting programme not only marks a positive new beginning after lockdown, but represents a wonderful gift we all can make to the future residents of Warwick District.
We’d like to encourage everyone to get involved, whether you’re a resident, a local business or community organisation. Please visit our website to find out more about how you can plant a tree; identify land for tree planting; help unlock grants and other funding, or share expert advice on growing trees.
