Town centres across the country are struggling with store closures and empty shops but Crawley Town centre is booming despite this, thanks to Crawley Council leader Peter Lamb’s delivery of the Councils ‘Town Centre Regeneration Programme’. The latest milestone has been achieved when Town Centre businesses voted to form a ‘Business Improvement District’.

Since taking control of the Council in 2014 Cllr Peter Lamb has overseen a continuous programme of delivery including investment in the public realm (e.g. Queens Square reworked and Queensway nearing completion) and encouraging private sector developers to bring forward schemes (e.g. Broadway residential development, Arora Station redevelopment, Crawley College STEM centre and more).

The £60 million Crawley Growth Programme – a partnership between CBC, West Sussex County Council, the Coast to Capital LEP, Manor Royal Business District and Metrobus – is also delivering for Crawley Town Centre with a programme of highway and sustainable transport improvements underway. In fact, Cllr Peter Lamb was the first council leader in West Sussex to sign a growth deal with WSCC.

And now Town Centre Businesses have voted to form a Business Improvement District designed to raise a further £2.5 million of levy funding to be used for the benefit of Town Centre businesses and to create a formal body to represent the diverse interests of Town Centre business. The Town Centre BID has an ambitious programme of work in front of it when it starts in April next year including:

• A year long calendar of Town Centre events
• A Food and Farmers market
• Promoting Business in the Town Centre and Historic High Street
• Showcasing Town centre businesses
• Dedicated Town Centre focussed Social Media and website
• Business networking facilities

The Town Centre BID will be the second BID in Crawley after the highly successful Manor Royal Business District presenting opportunities for joint working and promotion of a ‘Crawley Business Offer’.

Peter Lamb, Crawley Council Leader and Labour’s Candidate in Crawley, said: “The Council has supported the creation of the new Town Centre BID as it will further improve the Business environment in Crawley and help to maintain and grow a successful Crawley economy. Under my leadership we have a track record of delivering for Crawley businesses across the Town helping to maintain a strong retail offer for both residents and visitors alike and to provide good, well paid jobs for Crawley people. 

This is our latest step towards making Crawley ‘the place for Business’ in the South East providing good jobs and opportunities for Crawley residents young and old. We plan to continue to roll out further initiatives in the future so ‘watch this space’!”