£2.95m in central government funding has been granted to develop a new Creative Quarter in Tamworth town centre.

The £5.5m project, led by Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council, is expected to be complete by 2017.

It will see the refurbishment of Tamworth Assembly Rooms, the transformation of the Philip Dix Centre into a Business and Enterprise Centre, the redevelopment of the Carnegie Centre as a restaurant and improvements to the library and surrounding area.

The first stage in the development of the Creative Quarter – the restoration and improvement of Tamworth Assembly Rooms – is much more certain, but still subject to additional funding being committed from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

An earlier bid to the Single Local Growth Fund was turned down in July last year, putting the project on hold.

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The securing of the £2.95m is a huge step forward for the Creative Quarter bid and the redevelopment of Tamworth Assembly Rooms, as it is the key to unlocking further funding. It is proposed that Tamworth Borough Council will allocate a total of £900,000 in match funding, with Staffordshire County Council contributing £550,000 and £900,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. If the funding bids are successful, work is expected to start in early 2016.

The first phase of the project is the conservation, redevelopment and improvement of the 125-year-old Tamworth Assembly Rooms, which was approved by Tamworth Borough Council's planning committee in September last year.

The improvements include the creation of a café bar and exhibition space, a multi-use area, studios, restoration and improvement of existing windows, a new box office and new glazed double doors at the front of the building to help open up the front façade.

Councillor Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: "Staffordshire has stepped up to the challenge and is on a roll in terms of our delivery of projects which will have a major impact on long-term economic growth and job creation.

"This announcement means people in Tamworth and the surrounding areas can look forward to regeneration and greater employment and leisure opportunities."

(CD/JP)