A bid for a £20m boost to Eastwood has been submitted to Government, as part of the Levelling Up Fund.
“It’s great to see such a strong bid going in for Eastwood. For too long Eastwood has been neglected, this money would be a game changer,” said Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, which also covers part of Broxtowe, including Eastwood.
“It has been many years since Eastwood has seen any real investment and local people deserve to have better facilities and opportunities at their doorstep.
“I’m incredibly proud of the bid we are submitting to Government and the collaboration work that has gone into this bid which if successful, will make a real difference to residents not just in Eastwood, but the whole of Broxtowe,” added leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Milan Radulovic MBE.
If successful, the funding would deliver projects including:
D.H. Lawrence Library, Health and Life Chances Centre
- A new health and wellbeing hub in the heart of the town centre that will house a new GP surgery, pharmacy, library, 5-lane community swimming pool, boxing club and women’s services.
- Better health facilities are needed in Eastwood and this new Centre will provide brand new, modern facilities for residents of Eastwood as well as brand new leisure facilities for residents to enjoy.
Durban House Community Hub
- Transformation of an important historic building in Eastwood into a low-carbon, energy-efficient community hub. Services will be overseen by the Durban House Community Hub group, which is a registered charity.
- Funding will enable the structural changes needed to allow these services to run from Durban House. This will involve making the building more environmentally-friendly through insulation and a new heating system, and redesigning some of the rooms and corridors in the building to make it more user friendly.
- One of the main services that will be offered is a dementia day care facility.
- Other services will include a healthy eating café, community garden, employability support, mental health support groups, and health and fitness classes.
Cycle Path Network
- The cycle path project would create a network of active travel routes around and through Eastwood. In particular, the routes will connect the town centre to key large employment sites in the area to enable environmentally-friendly methods of commuting.
- It will also connect Eastwood to other important places, such as employment sites including Giltbrook Shopping Park and Panattoni Park, as well as Kimberley and onwards routes into Derbyshire.
- These routes would allow more people to cycle and walk to commute to work and for leisure purposes and would encourage more visitors to the area.
- It would also support reducing carbon emissions and healthier lifestyle choices.
The bid has been produced by Broxtowe Borough Council in consultation with local groups and residents and partners including Eastwood Town Council.
The proposal will now be reviewed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and approval is expected in the autumn.
