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Boarded-up Shops Given New Look To Brighten The Street Scene

TWO empty boarded-up shops in Ilkeston’s main trading street have been given a fresh look in a pioneering move by regeneration agency Erewash Partnership.
 

Ilkeston Shop Front Project

The project, which is backed by Ilkeston Town Centre Forum and the Pride in Erewash campaign, involves work to brighten the buildings and the street scene. 
 
Paul Calladine, the Partnership’s market towns co-ordinator, said: “In the current economic climate vacated shops might take some time to be sold or let and we don’t want them to blight an area.”
 
 The boards on the two shops in Bath Street were painted black by local offenders who did the work unpaid, organised by Derbyshire Probation Service under the Government’s Community Payback Scheme.
 

Old pictures of Ilkeston given by local author Andrew Knighton have been enlarged and displayed on the frontages.

 Ilkeston Shop Front Project
“There has been some criticism by local people about the appearance of the empty shops giving a bad impression of the town,” said Paul.
 
“We wanted to brighten up the street scene and raise the profile of Ilkeston in order to attract more shoppers.”
 
Although the scheme started in Ilkeston it is planned to extend it to Long Eaton. “In future we hope to have local schoolchildren doing art work that can be displayed on the boards,” said Paul.
 
Focus DIY at the Waterside shopping park supplied painting materials for the work.

 
Last Updated on Thursday, 05 May 2011 09:37