Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) has secured funding, from a range of sources, for an ambitious investment in St Neots town centre. The investment seeks to explore the potential delivery of six projects, looking to transform the market town for the benefit of local people, businesses, and visitors.
St Neots Future High Streets Fund: Summary Document [PDF, size unavailable]
These webpages are one of the tools we and our partners will be using to ensure that local people are kept informed and can join the conversation about the future of St Neots. If you’d like to receive updates to your inbox you can join our mailing list.
What is the investment in St Neots?
The investment in St Neots High Street totals around £15 million and comes from a range of sources, including £3.7 million from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities' (DLUHC) Future High Streets Fund. St Neots is one of 72 towns across England to be awarded a FHSF grant.
Following the development of the St Neots Masterplan for Growth in 2018, the successful bid was submitted in 2020 to the the DLUHC. On top of this, further funding has been secured for the investment in St Neots:
- National Highways (£3.5 million)
- Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (£3.1m)
- Huntingdonshire District Council Infrastructure Levy (£5.1m)
The future of St Neots High Street
The Investment in St Neots programme will look to consider and develop options to help the town reach its potential, prepare for its future and address a range of key issues. St Neots is a popular, growing market town but the town centre is underperforming:
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St Neots is the fastest-growing town in Cambridgeshire.
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St Neots has excellent intercity transport connections to both London and Cambridge and is located on the beautiful River Great Ouse, making it an attractive place to live, work and visit.
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Despite its built heritage and setting, parts of the town centre lack appeal to visitors and residents and heavy traffic reduces the quality of experience.
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Businesses are unable to take advantage of the town’s growth and advantageous connections as the centre cannot support destination retail and other leisure activities.
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The population is growing, but footfall in the town centre is declining.
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The town centre lacks vibrancy and is not seen as an attractive destination in terms of its cultural and leisure offer.
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The town struggles to compete with the challenge from online shopping.
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St Neots Town Centre retail employment, the largest town centre employment sector, has declined.
In response to these challenges four overarching themes were identified, which led to the creation of specific objectives to deliver positive results for St Neots.
These themes, objectives and target results informed the selection of the six potential project options that make up the investment in St Neots programme.
Join the conversation
The Investment in St Neots programme has been informed by previous community and stakeholder engagement including the work to support the St Neots Masterplan for Growth.
As the programme moves forward, we want the community to join the conversation about the future of St Neots and work with us to develop a shared vision and consider options for the town.
If you want to make sure you’re invited to all our community events and activities, you can join our mailing list.
Page last updated 3rd August 2022.
