Boost to Amesbury regeneration plans (From Salisbury Journal)

Boost to Amesbury regeneration plans

1:54pm Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in News By Jill Harding

AMESBURY has been given a £10,000 boost to help its regeneration plans.

The town has been awarded Town Team partnership as part of a government scheme to improve the prospects of high streets across the country.

The money will be spent on setting up a ‘coach-friendly’ scheme so bus-loads of tourists can easily be brought into Amesbury to visit its new museum and other historic sites.

It will also be used to develop a Visit Amesbury website, provide tourist information and produce visitor guides to Amesbury.

Last year Amesbury applied to become a Portas Pilot town which gives high streets the chance to re-invent themselves with the help of television’s Queen of Shops, Mary Portas.

Although it was unsuccessful in its bid, Amesbury secured funding as part of a follow-up scheme to indentify Town Team partners.

Amesbury will receive a support package with advice from retail experts and other Town Team partners across the country.

Former mayor and founder of the regeneration partnership Andy Rhind-Tutt said: “The Town Team has worked very hard in the past 18 months, benchmarking Amesbury and understanding what is required to generate important and much needed footfall for the town. “The rediscovery of Amesbury’s heritage has played a major part.

“With the development of a museum telling the story of the town and why Stonehenge is where it is, this will become the catalyst to putting Amesbury on the map.

“The money will be used to set up a coach friendly scheme giving tour operators a reason to visit Amesbury and to bring coaches full of tourists to eat, drink and shop.

“With the visitor centre opening at Stonehenge in just a year’s time, Amesbury needs to be ready and this award could not have come at a better time”.