Nearly £3 million is set to be invested in Loughborough town centre to make it more attractive and safer for visitors thanks to a Loughborough Town Deal grant.

The Town Deal Board has confirmed £2.87 million of funding to support the Living Loughborough project which will see more events held in the town centre, investment in the town markets, expansion of the CCTV system and digital heritage trails added.

Charnwood Borough Council is leading the project and will be working in partnership with Love Loughborough which will deliver some aspects of the scheme.

Loughborough Town Deal is supporting 11 projects after securing £16.9 million of Government funding. In total, the projects are worth more than £40 million of investment for the town.

The Town Deal Board is co-chaired by Cllr Jonathan Morgan, Leader of Charnwood Borough Council, and Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, founder of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Cllr Morgan said: "This is an exciting project for Loughborough, and I am looking forward to seeing it develop. It has many different aspects that will bring numerous benefits for the people who visit, work, trade and live in the centre of our beautiful, historic market and university town.

Dr Kotecha said: "The town centre is crucial to our local economy and that's why the Town Deal Board were keen to support the Living Loughborough project. It will help make our town even more vibrant and attractive to visitors and in turn generate footfall for local businesses."

Cllr Jenny Bokor, the Council's lead member for Loughborough said: "Shopping habits have changed, and high streets need to adapt and innovate to ensure they can draw people in to support businesses. That's why we have created the Living Loughborough project in partnership with Love Loughborough.

"We are creating innovative digital trails for people to explore and investing in our historic markets. We will also be making Queen's Park even more attractive and connected to the town centre.

"The Living Loughborough project is packed with great ideas and thanks to the Town Deal we can now turn them into reality."

Lez Cope Newman, Chair of Love Loughborough BID, said: "I am so excited by the Living Loughborough project as I think it will be transformational for the town centre. The digital trails and events will help bring life and atmosphere while Love Loughborough will also be offering more support to businesses to help them flourish.

"We are also keen to make our town centre a safe and inviting place. CCTV will be expanded but we will also be working with partners, retailers and those involved in the night-time economy to make sure visitors feel safe and secure when in town."

Lisa Brown, Love Loughborough BID Manager, said: "This Town Deal funding has given Loughborough BID the opportunity to deliver a three-year project to provide BID businesses with the knowledge and tools to leverage social media and digital marketing skills for sustainable business growth.

"Alongside that, the extended free town centre Wi-Fi will ensure visitors can access BID's loyalty app to redeem offers and discounts and enjoy a suite of digital trails including the new Augmented Reality Heritage trail. Living Loughborough covers a wide range of projects which will work hand in hand to create a vibrant, safe and desirable town centre and provide businesses with the skills to create growth and prosperity."

The Living Loughborough project includes:

• the introduction of new interactive digital trails to encourage people to explore the town centre and its heritage. The trails will feature augmented reality which means they will be able to 'see into the past' using a mobile phone app.
• holding more events
• digital signage to showcase local events and information
• investment in Loughborough Markets including:
• the creation of a 'plaza' area with seating, lighting, and planters. The space will give more flexibility to be able to hold different types of events
• improvements to the infrastructure of the market to include cabins which can be used all year round and an extension of the electrical supply for market traders
• addition of a covered area in Southfields Park to hold events
• the expansion of CCTV cameras in four locations to improve public safety
• the creation of a new post with Love Loughborough to support crime reduction in the town centre including the purchase of 100 new radios for traders as part of the retail radio scheme
• more 1-2-1 support for businesses on topics including using digital technology and marketing
• improvements to Queen's Park including to the entrances from Granby Street and Granby Street car park, the addition of new information points, new lighting to the bandstand and improved lighting of the Carillon Tower.
• the addition of a canopy over a paved area outside the café at Charnwood Museum with improved lighting and seating
• the expansion of free public wi-fi in the town centre to include Ward's End, Devonshire Square, Bedford Square and Queen's Park
• So far, Loughborough Town Deal has already invested nearly £2 million in Loughborough to create a Careers and Enterprise Hub and to support the regeneration of Bedford Square, Ward's End and Devonshire Square.

It has also committed:

• £2.6 million to create a Digital Skills Hub at Loughborough College
• £835,000 to help save Taylor's Bell Foundry, the last major bell foundry in the UK
• £885,000 to fund towpath improvements alongside the River Soar
• £1.6 million to a creative arts hub at the Generator
• £2.5 million to support the Health and Innovative Loughborough project
• £280,000 towards the creation of a heritage locomotive works and education centre at Great Central Railway
• £669,000 for the Lanes and Links project including the Hope Bell

With the confirmed funding for the Living Loughborough project, Loughborough Town Deal's committed investment has now reached almost £15 million.