On 1st October 2026, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council will open a newly established grant scheme to support town centre premises.
Funding for the grant programme supports the Council’s delivery of Local Growth Fund (LGF) Priority 3, Objective 1. The LGF in Wales is a regional development investment programme to support productivity growth in areas with catch-up potential and address economic inequality in areas of deprivation. This grant is being awarded under Priority 3 - Improving Regional Infrastructure with the objective of unlocking investment in strategic sites and premises that are important for the region.
The grant programme is designed to support business owners and landlords with funding support to enhance the external visual appearance of their property which will in turn improve the external visual appearance of our town centres.
Examples of improvements that we will consider funding under this programme include shopfronts, windows, fascias, signage, and render. This is not an exhaustive list, and we will provide feedback at the end of stage 1 on the eligibility of your proposed works.
The grant programme will offer grants up to a maximum value of £25,000 per application and a maximum grant intervention rate of 80%. Grant Applicants will be required to demonstrate the availability of their 20% match funding at the time of submitting their full grant application.
The application process consists of two stages:
Stage 1: Expression of Interest
A short form that seeks initial information about the proposed project, including:
- Property location
- Status of tenure
- Proposed improvements
- Estimated Cost
- Anticipated start and end date for works
The closing date for expression of interest is Friday 16th October 2026. We will then assess all submissions and those who meet the eligibility criteria will be invited to move onto Stage 2: Full application.
Stage 2: Full Application
More detailed information about the project, including:
- Detailed description of proposed improvements
- Evidence of tenure
- Confirmation of planning permission / building control consent (if required)
- Breakdown of estimated costs – supported by 3 quotes
- Evidence that match funding is in place
- Proposed programme of work
Details of the submission dates for the full application shall be provided at the time that applicants are sent the invitation to proceed to the next stage.
To be eligible for funding, all approved projects will be required to have all works completed, contractor payments made and claims submitted before 28th February 2027.
For any enquiries whilst preparing your expression of interest, please contact regeneration-projects@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
Please follow the link to complete the online expression of interest