Leamington’s Old Town team has plans for Portas funds

Only a small amount of the £100,000 awarded to the area in July, as part of the retail expert’s Portas Pilot project, has so far been spent.

But Jeremy Ireland, of the town’s Portas Pilot project team, which is being jointly run by the Old Town Business Association and Bath Place Community Venture, said: “We always planned to spend the majority of the funds on larger ventures that will have long-term benefits.

“We have been put under pressure by local authorities and consultancy groups to give the money to them, but we don’t want to because we are here to help small businesses do better, not to help people with large businesses and large cars to get an extra bonus.”

Around £6,000 has been spent on managing a summer and a winter festival in Clemens Street.

Mr Ireland said the project is hoping to support a social arts enterprise that is looking for a space in Old Town, while the team is also encouraging businesses in High Street to create an overall ‘browsing’ feel to the south of the town.

He said: “We are also hoping to get reduced parking prices at Court Street because we want to encourage people to park here so that they walk through the area on their way to the main town.”

Mr Ireland hinted that the team would be releasing some “big news” in the next few months.