53-57 High Street Margate Photo: Thanet District Council
A High Street building, formerly Store Twenty One is set to become MargateDigital centre.
Work to help bring a large vacant property within the lower High Street of Margate back into use has started this week (1 November).
This £750,000 project is being led by Thanet District Council following a grant from the Government.
Margate was one of 101 Town Deal places in England to benefit from the government’s accelerated funding to bring forward regeneration projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on town centres. The money will be spent on removing asbestos and renovations to the roof of the building. The project is due to complete by Spring 2022.
This preliminary work lays the foundations for the MargateDigital project, which featured in recent positive news for the town after its bid to the Levelling Up Fund was successful. The £6.3m bid includes match-funding which will bring the 53-57 High Street building back into use as a specialist industry-focused centre on the High Street.
Margate was visited recently by the Government’s High Street Task Force which is providing support to towns across the country. Initial feedback from the visit confirmed that key buildings, such as 53-57 High Street, will play a big part in the reimagining of the High Street in Margate.
Local businesses who would like to tender for contracts as part of projects focussing on regeneration in the district, including those that make up the Margate Town Deal, should register with the Kent Business Portal where business opportunities or tenders will be advertised.