Shopfront Improvement Grant - Applicants Guide

1. Introduction 

1.1 This document is designed to assist applicants to apply for the Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme. Copies of the guidance and registration form are available on the shop grants page.

Aim

1.2 The aim of the Grant is to support businesses within the borough’s town centres and is one of a number of initiatives that form a wider regeneration programme funded through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The scheme will provide a boost to the local economy by providing grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to eligible applicants. 

Who can apply for a Grant?

1.3 The Grant is open to owners of or businesses occupying ground floor units in the town centres of Ilkeston and Long Eaton. In Ilkeston this covers Bath Street, Market Place, and South Street. In Long Eaton this covers High Street, Market Place, Tamworth Road (no further south than Broad Street), and Derby Road (between Fletcher Street and Waverley Street only).

1.4 Eligible applicants can apply for a grant of between £1,000 and £10,000 towards the costs of shop front improvements. Applicants are required to provide 20% match-funding (see 3.5) for the works. Start-ups and social enterprises are not required to provide match-funding. 

2. How you apply for a Grant

For the purposes of this section “you” means “The Applicant” and “us or we” means Erewash Borough Council.

2.1 You can complete an online application for this grant scheme, if you require assistance or would prefer to submit a written application please contact the Economic Development (ED) team via email (EconomicDevelopment@erewash.gov.uk) or post (Economic Development, Long Eaton Town Hall, Derby Road, NG10 1HU). Once submitted your application will be processed by the ED team, they will let you know if you are eligible and tell you what you need to do next.

2.2 You will need to have a bank account in your business name into which we can pay the Grant by bank transfer, following approval.

2.3 You will submit any remaining forms and supporting documents to us by email or post addressed to the Economic Development team.

3. How we will assess your application 

3.1 All grants will be made at the sole discretion of Erewash Borough Council. All grants will be subject to availability of sufficient funding. Erewash Borough Council will not be committed until the formal acceptance of the offer of the grant by the applicant. The Council will consider applications on a first come, first served basis. The scheme will run between April 2025 and March 2026, subject to sufficient funds.

3.2 You need to give details of any grant funding your business has received over the past 3 years. This is required due to subsidy control rules that govern how much public money a business can receive over a given time.

3.3 You will need to provide a minimum of two quotes for the works intended (please see point 5 below for design guidance).

3.4 You will need to provide a copy of the lease agreement or deeds for the unit in question. 

3.5 Match-funding of 20% is required. Please note that the maximum amount you can apply for from the Council is £10,000. See table below for examples:

4. How you will be informed of the grant decision

4.1 We will notify you of your eligibility for the scheme in writing.

4.2 The Application Form will ask you to submit further documentation and information to the Council in order for the application to be processed.

4.3 The Grant will be conditional on the submission and approval of this information. An offer of Grant will then be made.

4.4 The Grant monies will be paid to successful applicants if the application is approved, background checks are carried out, and any necessary consents or permissions are in place. 

4.5 You must inform Erewash Borough Council upon completion of the works which should be started within 60 days of the grant award. 

4.6 Applicants must hold Public Liability Insurance.

4.7 Grants are discretionary, and Erewash Borough Council reserves the right to withhold payment of the grant in whole or part if any of the terms and conditions has been breached. 

4.8 Payment will be subject to you having satisfactorily complied with all terms and conditions of the scheme. 

4.9 Payment of the grant will be made into your business bank account (or ‘trading as’ account) via BACS.

4.10 If the costs of the proposed project exceed the maximum grant awarded, Erewash Borough Council is not obliged to increase the grant amount. You may, however, choose to spend more than the Grant on the overall scheme with your own funds.

4.11 You will agree for Erewash Borough Council to involve you in publicity, e.g., press releases, case studies and photographs and reports related to the Grant.

4.12 You will agree to take part in any monitoring and produce relevant information as requested.

4.13 You will agree to use the Grant only for the works specified in the Grant Offer letter.

4.14 If you are VAT registered your grant will be assessed on the net cost of eligible projects; if you are non-registered it will be on the gross cost. If you do not know whether you are VAT registered, you must seek advice from HM Revenue & Customs. 

4.15 Erewash Borough Council, its officers and agents shall not at any time be held liable to any person in relation to any loss or damage arising, either directly or indirectly, as a result of compliance by you with these terms and conditions of grant. Award of the grant does not imply that Erewash Borough Council is expressing a view regarding your business or its products/services nor that it accepts responsibility for any debts, or liabilities incurred by you or your business. 

4.16 Erewash Borough Council reserves the right to recover all or part of the grant it has provided if: 

• You are found to have improperly tried to influence the decision of any Officer or Elected Member of Erewash Borough Council in the award of a grant;

• Any information provided in the forms or other correspondence is found to be substantially incorrect, misleading or incomplete;

• You fail to comply with any of the terms and conditions of this scheme.

4.17 We will check whether you have any outstanding debts owed to Erewash Borough Council. If it is found that such debts exist, Erewash Borough Council reserves the right to withhold grant payment until such debts are cleared.

4.18 We will share data with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) of the UK Government who have provided the funding for the scheme. Data supplied in the Application Form will be held on the shared database in accordance with Data Protection legislation. 

4.19 We sometimes need to share your information within the Council or with other organisations. We will only share your information when necessary and when the law allows us to. For processing and administering your grant application and payment we may need to share your information with:

• In certain cases we may also share your information with other individuals and organisations for the purpose of the prevention and detection of fraud.

See our full privacy notice.

5. Design Guidance

Works will be expected to accord with the Council’s design guidance. This is of particular relevance as the town centres fall within Conservation Areas (designated for their heritage value). It should also be noted that some proposals would require Planning Permission. 

The Council encourages applicants to read the Shopfront SPD document for further information about shop front design. The full document can be downloaded below.

If you are unsure as to whether you will require Planning Permission the Borough Council encourages you to provide details at an early stage and they will advise as to whether this is required.