Town and Village Regeneration Scheme

Please note applications for the Town & Village Regeneration Scheme have now closed.

The Town & Village Regeneration Scheme has been established to provide financial assistance to improve the appearance of commercial premises and create civic amenity projects within the Island’s towns and villages. 

PURPOSE

The Scheme’s two main purposes are to improve the quality and appearance of the Island’s towns and villages and this is provided in two ways:

1. Encouraging local businesses to improve the external visual appearance of their property, including but not limited to;

• Access – Doors, automatic doors and ramps etc
• Signage
• Glass fronts
• Lighting scheme
• Painting and rendering

2. Developing civic amenities through visual improvements, facilities, points of interest and improvement to public areas, including but not limited to;

• Lighting
• Access
• Public art
• Planting
• Signage
• Seating

FUNDING

Eligible local business and local authority applicants can receive a grant of 50%, capped at £10,000, per project.

Applicants must have sufficient funds to pay for the project work in full. If the applicant is successful, the Department will then reimburse up to 50% on project completion.

BENEFICIARIES/APPLICANTS

Grants under this Scheme may be given to the following beneficiaries

• A partnership
• A sole trader
• A limited company
• A charity
• A non-profit making organisation
• A local authority

ELIGIBILITY

• The requirement for businesses to be located within a designated 'Regeneration Area' has been removed. Therefore, all commercial premises directly accessible from the public highway are now eligible in all areas across the Island;
• The project must make improvements to the appearance and/or amenity of the town or village;
• The work must not have been started before the application has been submitted and acknowledged;
• Projects can receive support from different Government schemes (e.g. TVRS and the Arts Council) as long as individual item costs are not being supported by more than one scheme. (Applicants who are seeking support from more than one Government scheme are encouraged to contact the Department before applying to discuss their project in more detail);
• The organisation must conduct business lawfully in the Island; and
• The organisation must be up to date with paperwork and payments for Income Tax, NI, VAT, or be on an approved VAT payment plan.

EXCLUSIONS

• Residential properties
• Government Departments
• Support is not available for:
  
  • The cost of labour or materials provided by the recipient or by persons employed by the recipient;
  • The operating costs of the completed project;
  • Any costs payable to a Government Department, a Statutory Board or local authority;
  • New builds;
  • Events; and
  • General repairs and maintenance works which do not uplift the area.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Commercial premises can only apply for external improvement work, internal improvements are excluded unless they are incidental to the approved exterior work
• Three quotes must accompany each application from suitably accredited trade businesses
• Any quotes for building work over £10,000, the quotes acquired must be from Construction Isle of Man registered contractors.
• Usually only one application per site is permitted, and usually only one application per organisation per year.
• Grants are offered entirely at the Department’s discretion, and even if an applicant is eligible via the criteria set out above, applications are reviewed on a case by case basis on their own merits with no guarantee of a grant being offered.