Eleven towns and cities from across Northern England have bid for a share of a new £15m fund to support major culture and tech capital projects.

The Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund will make grants of up to £4m available to support each project and will build on the impact of next year’s Great Exhibition of the North.

The Great Exhibition is a two-month long exhibition to be held next summer in Newcastle-Gateshead. It will celebrate art, culture and design in the North.

The Government also hopes the Fund will go towards boosting the Northern Powerhouse.

The bids include the Leeds City Region’s plans to transform the former Bradford Odeon cinema into a 4,000 capacity live music, entertainment and events venue, and Humber’s bid to create the world’s biggest digital artwork, using the Humber Bridge as the canvas.

‘These hugely exciting bids demonstrate the scale of cultural ambition across the region, and reflect the great diversity of Northern towns and cities,’ said Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley.

‘This £15m fund will mean that as many people as possible benefit from the Great Exhibition of the North and it is fantastic that so many communities have recognised the transformative potential of culture, design and innovation.’

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, commented: ‘The Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund will help communities show the world how the great art and culture, design and ingenuity of the North shapes all our lives.

‘It also gives regions the chance to bid for funding for projects which deliver transformative change for local residents while firmly placing the North at the forefront of arts and culture in the UK.’

The first round of bids have been coordinated by Local Enterprise Partnerships in Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Humber, Lancashire, Leeds City Region, Liverpool City Region, North East, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, York and North Yorkshire and East Riding.