Improving the High Street grant

The project must be:

• Located within the 104 parishes of our local authority area
• Located on the front elevation and/or within the high street of one of our local authority area village/towns.

We appreciate that in some circumstances there will be uncertainty in whether the project sits within a high street, as there will be some projects, for example improving an underpass that leads to a high street, that will improve footfall to the high street itself. If you are unsure, please email Sharedprosperityfund@scambs.gov.uk to confirm if you are eligible.

Grant funding will be made available to small independent businesses operating within South Cambridgeshire high streets, Community Groups and Parish Councils.

Business applicants must:

• Be a small, independent business (including Community Interest Companies) which operates within the High Street within the South Cambridgeshire District

Businesses are likely to be eligible to apply for the grant, if the following statements apply to them:

• The shop can be seen clearly from the street
• You anticipate that the change will make a positive difference to the surrounding area

Community Groups must:

• Either be a non-profit group or organisation based in South Cambridgeshire or benefiting South Cambridgeshire residents
• Have a written constitution or mission statement
• Have an elected committee or representative steering group
• Be able to provide an up-to-date copy of their accounts and any relevant protection policies

Parish Councils must:

• Be an active Parish Council
• Have a written constitution or mission statement
• Have an elected committee or representative steering group
• Be able to provide an up-to-date copy of their accounts and any relevant protection policies

If you have questions about these criteria, please contact us using the details below.  

The types of project the fund supports are external renovations or improvements to the front elevations of buildings. These include, but are not limited to:

• General repairs
• Repair of external stonework and brickwork
• Repair and reinstatement of guttering and down-pipes
• Painting/decorating
• Signage
• External lighting
• Window display equipment and lighting
• Street art/sculptures
• Commemorative plaques
• Improving bus shelters
• Decorative planting 
• Street cleaning
• Hardboard maps
• Benches
• Parklets
• Biodiversity/greening projects
• Improving accessibility
• Family friendly schemes, such as high street safari or similar augmented reality interactive trails to encourage footfall
• Event and pop-up opportunities

Installation costs of any of the above can be included in the application.

If you think that your project may require planning permission, please be advised that this may be a lengthy process. To avoid potential delays, you may want to consider speaking to our planning team.  

Applications without planning permission will not be accepted.

The project aims to improve the look of our local high streets. Increased attractiveness and cleanliness will increase footfall to high street areas. In turn, this will boost trading for local businesses. Community buildings and green spaces will also benefit from this, creating pride in place for local communities.

All successful applicants will be required to report on their progress from the date of receipt of funds and at quarterly intervals. Projects must set out how they will measure and report how they have met their objectives.

We have an allocation of £200,000 to spend between 2024 and 2025. The scheme will be open from October and will run until all of the funds have been allocated.

Applications for funding must be between a minimum of £5,000 and a maximum £20,000.

The scheme will be launched for applications in October 2024. The applications windows are as follows:

• 10 October 2024 to 10 November 2024
• 14 November 2024 to 15 December 2024
• 19 December 2024 to 19 January 2025

Applications will be accepted until all funds are allocated. The Council reserves the right to close the application window once funding is exhausted.

If successful, payments will be made in arrears and on receipt of invoices for expenditure.

Please see the full grant policy [PDF, 0.1MB] for further information.

If you are unable to find what you are looking for, or you wish to request a paper copy of the application, do not hesitate to let us know by email.  

If you require digital assistance to complete the application form you can access Assisted Digital Service Support.

As part of the application process, credit checks may be conducted which will include overdue creditors, bankruptcy, county court judgments and director disqualification. We will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be subject to claw back, as may grants paid in error.

Our Internal Audit and Fraud teams will use government schemes such as the National Fraud Initiative to ensure the Council takes reasonable steps in prevention of fraud and error. Data will be shared with necessary organisations including the CPCA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.