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The town set for more than £1m worth of upgrades

Alice CunninghamSuffolk
News imageDarren Rozier/BBC A town centre High Street on a sunny day. Bunting has been erected across the High Street between buildings. Cars are parked either side of a road. Some people are walking on the pavement toward the camera. Buildings line the side of the road and a church spire is in the distance.Darren Rozier/BBC
Haverhill town centre will have more than £1m spent on it for improvements

A town centre will have almost £1.7m spent on improvements to draw in visitors, support local businesses and create a more vibrant High Street, a council has announced.

West Suffolk Council's cabinet agreed to spend the money on transforming Haverhill, plans for which were developed by a steering group.

The money will be spent on refurbishing the former HSBC building, creating a more welcoming Market Square and on other areas as the council finalises its plans.

Indy Wijenayaka, the cabinet member for growth at the council, said the scheme would "help unlock the town's full potential".

News imageDarren Rozier/BBC A market square where various stallholders have set up under green marquee. Vans have been parked by some of the marquees. A church made of red bricks is behind the market. Bunting hangs above the market square. Darren Rozier/BBC
Haverhill's Market Square will be improved with the money

The council had previously agreed to spend £693,000 on improvements to the town centre and earlier this year committed an additional £1m to the works, taking the total to £1.693m.

On Tuesday the cabinet approved the recommendations for the HSBC building and Market Square.

It said it had looked at options for the HSBC building in the short to medium term, given its prominence in the high street and the local community's desire to see it be enhanced and repurposed.

The Market Square has also been prioritised for works to improve its functionality and appearance.

Other locations being considered for upgrades include the Haverhill Arts Centre, Camps Road, Market Hill (St Mary's Church) and Queen Street.

News imageWest Suffolk Council A man stands outside a building in a car park and smiles at the camera. He has short dark hair and is wearing a black gilet jacket with a blue shirt underneath. West Suffolk Council
Indy Wijenayaka said the scheme for Haverhill would draw in more people to the town centre

The council said the steering group consisted of representatives from all three tiers of local government who had been advised by various consultants.

Feedback gathered during the development of the project had helped shape the plans and now the council is working on detailed designs and final costings.

Wijenayaka said the scheme would increase footfall to support local businesses.

"We also hope creating more vibrant public and cultural spaces will improve perceptions of safety, strengthen civic pride and support the evening economy for residents and visitors to enjoy," he added.

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