Fit for Market
A vital role of Invest Northamptonshire is in ensuring the county has an adequate supply of commercial land and property. Through the Fit for Market scheme, supported by the government, financial grants are given to projects that regenerate disused land and / or buildings and make them fit for commercial use. These projects include acquisitions, refurbshments, and feasibility studies.
In 2005-2006, more than £5 million will be allocated through the scheme.
Projects funded by Fit for Market include:
- £1.7m to transform a run down area and provide new housing and jobs in Desborough near Kettering.
- More than £750,000 to make a disused piece of land fit for a high quality office development in Northampton.
- £15,000 funding for a feasibility study on a 2 hectare site in Oundle.
- A grant of £750,000 for the restoration of outbuildings to create 12,000 sqm of workshop units in Kettering.
- Funding for a feasibility study for a 17 acre site in Brackley.
For information and press releases on some of the Fit for Market Projects, please read our Case Studies.
Land Reclamation Scheme
The Land Reclamation Scheme adopts Fit for Market funding and is believed to be the first initiative of its kind in the UK. The scheme makes derelict land suitable for new uses and is intended to cover the costs of end uses which cannot be recovered through an increase in site value. In 2005-2006, the scheme aims to reach a target of 70 hectares of brownfield land and regeneration, and 20,000sq m of new and refurbished buildings.
For more information on Fit for Market contact James Cushing at: james.cushing@northamptonshireenterprise.ltd.uk
Blueprint - Blueprint is an innovative public private partnership created to deliver new solutions for regeneration in the East Midlands. Tha partnership comprises East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and English Partnerships (EP) together with Morley Fund Management's igloo Regeneration Partnership. blueprint's remit is to deliver economic and social benefits within a commercial framework. For further information, please visit the Blueprint website.