East Cambridgeshire District Council has commenced a consultation to ask residents and organisations how earmarked funding for Soham to assist in COVID-19 recovery and economic growth should be invested.

The funding is set to support Soham to rebuild and recover, but also to explore new opportunities for the town.

Soham is one of the market towns in the region that has £1million investment earmarked from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as part of its Market Towns Masterplans project. East Cambridgeshire District Council have the responsibility of overseeing how Soham's share of available Market Towns funding is spent.

The vision for Soham, which has been detailed in the town’s Masterplan focusses on four major themes; a repurposed, resilient town centre, better connectivity, developing Soham’s AgriTech industry cluster and a new leisure and culture offer.

So far, the funding has helped to deliver a town centre strategy, urgent improvements through the High Street including investment in infrastructure, signage and street furniture, the provisions of a match funded small grants pot to help businesses, groups and landlords maintain the attractiveness of empty or declining buildings in the town centre and necessary improvements to upgrade and significantly extend Soham’s free public Wi-Fi network.

Councillor David Brown, chairman of the Finance and Assets Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said:

“I’m thrilled to see such a substantial and necessary investment being put into one of the district’s market towns.

“There has been a lot of unknowns over the past 15 months and we hope that, through this consultation, we can help Soham bounce back with improvements that have been informed by those who make it a community.”

Results from the consultation will advise further bids to the Combined Authority to unlock further funding from the £1million available.

You can complete the consultation online or request access to hard copies by calling 01353 665555 or emailing sally.bonnett@eastcambs.gov.uk.

The deadline for the consultation is 5pm on Tuesday 25^th May 2021.