Town centres thriving after revival plan breathes new life into vacant shops

Wiltshire Council has invested £580,000 of Vibrant Wiltshire grant funding into businesses that breathe new life into vacant units across Wiltshire’s town centres.

Business owners were encouraged to apply for funding for projects designed to bring empty spaces back into use, either on a temporary or a permanent basis, with grants ranging from £1,000 to a maximum of £10,000.

Since the Vibrant Wiltshire grant scheme launched in January, more than 120 enquiries have been received by the team, with 82 applications submitted for consideration. To date, 61 grants have been approved, with 24 projects already receiving their grants in full.

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Throughout the county’s town centres, 32 previously vacant units have reopened and are already operational, including Midsummer Olives in Melksham, Central Bark Dog Grooming in Pewsey, Daliz and Son Ltd clothing in Salisbury, and the Chippenham Community Hub.

Vibrant Wiltshire is part of the Wiltshire Towns Programme, a £1m investment each year for four years into reinvigorating the county’s high streets.

Grants have been awarded for projects across Wiltshire, including in Bradford on Avon, Calne, Chippenham, Devizes, Downton, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Melksham, Pewsey, Royal Wootton Bassett, Salisbury, Trowbridge, Warminster, Westbury and Wilton.

Cllr Laura Mayes, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We’re committed to supporting local businesses, enhancing town centres and driving economic growth as part of our Business Plan, and that’s why we allocated £580,000 from the Wiltshire Towns Programme to support the Vibrant Wiltshire grants.

“Our aim was to encourage business owners to share their ideas and projects to fill empty shops and commercial units in high streets throughout Wiltshire, to create a more engaging, thriving and attractive environment for shoppers, visitors and investors alike, improving the vibrancy of our market towns.

“We’re delighted that so many of our local businesses and enterprises applied for the grants and were successful. We can’t wait to see their ideas and projects coming to fruition and opening up across Wiltshire.”

Richard Bardsley founded Midsummer Olives in 2020 at the end of the first lockdown period. Midsummer Olives combines Richard’s love of theatre and cooking, using Greek Halkadiki and Kalamata olives mixed with homemade dressings and named after Shakespearean characters. The speciality olives produced are sold online and in local markets throughout Wiltshire and Somerset. Richard was able to launch a development kitchen at Avonside Enterprise Park in Melksham with the help of the funding he obtained through the Vibrant Wiltshire grant scheme.

He said, “I moved into Avonside in April 2024. The extra space is allowing me to expand the business into wholesale, farm shops, butchers, delis and markets.”

The Chippenham Community Hub was formed during covid and opened its doors later to address any needs which were not being fulfilled that would fit into the description of being 'good for Chippenham'.

Over the past three years this open-door policy has seen demand grow exponentially, and the original premises in the town centre failed to keep up with that demand.

Sandie Webb, Founder and Chair of Trustees said "Without the Vibrant Wiltshire grant and the assistance of Wiltshire Council officers this move would not have been possible.

“It has allowed the new Hub premises to be converted to meet the diverse needs that come through the doors, together with the increase in individual community demands.

“Chippenham is about to grow and change in the coming years, and this grant will enable us to future-proof and grow with the new demand that this will bring."

To find out more about the Wiltshire Towns Programme and the Vibrant Wiltshire grant allocations, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/wiltshire-towns-programme .