KINGSHURST has missed out on £12million of Government funding to revamp the village centre.
Solihull Council said it was ‘deeply disappointed’ but insisted plans will go ahead and the demolition parts of the projects happen this summer.
The money from the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) would have been spent on creating 78 homes, a new vicarage for St Barnabas Church, a community and health and wellbeing hub which includes a GP, pharmacy, dentist, library service and community cafe in the town.
The project, which was given approval in May, has already received backing from the West Midlands Combined Authority and £1.81m of Estates Regeneration Funding from the Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund.
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “Last week’s decision is deeply disappointing but we will continue working with partners and external funders to identify and access funding for the regeneration of Kingshurst.
“So far, this complex project has been funded by contributions from the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund and the council’s own resources. We currently have other funding bids in progress.
“The next stage of project delivery involves further demolition, which will continue until the summer.”
The West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, has slammed the decision.
He backed the bid for the LUF for the Kingshurst regeneration project along with the leader of Solihull Council Councillor Ian Courts, Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti and Solihull MP Julian Knight.
Mr Street tweeted: “I am particularly concerned that the government may have viewed our past successes – not least the Commonwealth Games and Coventry City of Culture in recent years – as a reason to reject the majority of the region’s bids.
“The West Midlands is currently in high profile negotiations with government over some major multi-billion pound schemes, but I cannot accept that that should be a reason to preclude us from winning money from some of our most deprived areas.”
