Decision details

a)    Agreed to receive an additional £503,631 of Historic England High Street Heritage Action Zone funding, and to commit to the funding being invested to extend the public realm works in High Street before 31^st March 2022; and

b)    Agreed to the extension of the Kettering High Street Heritage Action Zone boundary to incorporate Sawyer’s Almshouses and the Manor House Gardens in Sheep Street, Kettering.

Reasons for Decisions:–

·         To formally accept the additional £503,631 grant offer by Historic England and confirm it will be invested in the project for which it was offered.

·         To commit to deliver the additional spend within the timescale conditional to the funding offer.

·         To work to optimise the investment for the longer-term benefit of Kettering town centre and its environment.

·         To enable Sawyer’s Almshouses and Manor House Gardens to benefit from support from the High Street HAZ programme.

Alternative Options Considered:-

·         To not accept the extra £503,631 from Historic England that allows NNC to extend the Public Realm works, was considered but rejected on the grounds that with the approved works ongoing it is better to extend them rather than come back should further funding arise. Also considered was that the funding does not require match funding from the Council.

·         To not extend the HSHAZ area would prevent any grant funding for the Almshouses. The financial requirement is low at present and should more be required there is an alternative means of funding this from Historic England that would not impact the HSHAZ budget.