Derelict shops, cinemas and shopping centres across England are to be transformed into cafes, shared workspaces and community hubs under a £210m Government package.
The money includes a £125m Derelict Buildings Fund, which will help councils turn empty buildings into what their communities need, from health centres to civic spaces.
A further £65m will help communities rescue and revamp buildings and businesses at risk of closure, such as pubs and sports clubs.
The remaining £20m will be split equally between High Street Rental Auctions, which let out properties vacant for 12 months or more, and a new Co-operative Development Programme.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the funding would put power ‘back into the hands of locals who know their area best’. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner added that the aim was to see boarded-up buildings become places people are ‘proud to visit again’.
A high streets strategy will follow later this year.
Tony Armstrong, Locality CEO, said: 'It's encouraging that the Prime Minister recognises what community ownership can do for our neighbourhoods. We know he's genuinely committed to community power. We've seen it in Greater Manchester's Live Well programme.
'But the £65m community ownership funding that’s now confirmed has to be the start of something bigger. The last community ownership fund was £150m, yet local people came forward with £1.8bn of buildings and spaces they wanted to bring into community ownership, so most missed out. What communities need now is investment that matches their ambition.'
