This week is an important one for Lye as Dudley Council’s £20 million bid to transform the town in Round Two of the Levelling Up Fund will have been submitted.
The bid, if successful, will be truly transformative. As someone said to me when they read it: 'If this isn’t levelling up, I don’t know what is.' I couldn't agree more.
First and foremost, the bid creates opportunity. It puts people at its very heart. It puts in the building blocks that will create a sense of place, act as a catalyst for change and bring the much-needed long term private investment into the area that has been missing for many a year.
The submission’s proposals are designed to radically change local transport, revitalise Lye and make Lye a more attractive area to live, work, and visit. I know its residents. They are proud of their historic town but also concerned for its future. The bid addresses many of those concerns
Furthermore, the proposed housing developments can reinvigorate the area by attracting new people to live in Lye and encouraging residents, particularly young people, to stay in the area.
The bid’s proposal to build on brownfield sites and deliver new homes is sustainable and ensures that the local green spaces are protected. The new housing offer will help foster a sense of even greater pride among the people of Lye in their community. There is no doubt in my mind this will have a snowball effect by invigorating the area and, crucially, the high street.
Importantly, the transport improvements have the scope to improve Lye’s connectivity with the wider West Midlands, bringing residents closer to work opportunities across the region. Local businesses are sure to benefit and there will be a boost to the local economy.
The bid contains the much-needed high impact plan to make the bypass in the town two-way and improve junctions along the A4036. This will put right the previous planning mistake to build the by-pass in the first instance. It is a by-pass that has blighted the area and contributed significantly to the decline of Lye.
I have given the bid my endorsement – something that helps give it the best chance of success. I hope the government gives this submission the greenlight and awards us the full amount from the levelling up fund.
Thank you to all those at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council for listening to both myself and the residents of Lye and putting together a very good, well thought out and substantial bid. A decision is due in the autumn.
So, watch this space!
