A Levelling Up Funding grant has been awarded by Hull City Council to an exciting retail opportunity.

The council has provided £205,000 worth of funding to bring back into use West Street Arcade in Hull City Centre.

The total cost of the project is £450,000 and creation of 10 shops will bring further employment to the city centre.

The dilapidated building has received planning permission after MMR Investment Limited applied for a full building restoration in 2021, as well as a rear extension last year.

The grant award will go towards these plans which will see 450sqm over two floors of retail space created and the building split into 10 smaller units.

Renovation will include a full rewire of the building, installation of fixtures and fittings and all of the windows to be replaced.

Garry Taylor, Hull City Council’s assistant director for major projects, culture and place, said: “I am delighted the council is able to award this funding to MMR Investment Limited.

“It will help to bring back into use vacant units, in turn providing local jobs and is another great example of excellent regeneration work done in the city centre.”

In November 2021, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, Communities informed the council that its bid for £19.5m of Round 1 Levelling Up Funds to support infrastructure and deliver a package of city centre regeneration works had been successful.

£7.5 million of the fund is being used to create a new grant scheme which aims to bring unused floorspace of any vacant or partially occupied property back into use and to create jobs.

Similar to previous grant schemes in the Old Town, the Levelling Up Grant scheme will allow various diverse businesses to open and operate, breathing new life into the area.