Former Barclays bank in Flitwick will become restaurant thanks to share of £450k for area

And its particular slice of the money will help transform the former Barclays Bank building in Station Road.

Back in April, Bedford Today revealed how the plans had already attracted a £293,000 grant from the government.

And now, five town centres in Central Beds – including Flitwick – will receive a boost from the council’s allocation of over £450,000 from its UK Shared Prosperity and DEFRA Rural England Prosperity Funds.

And it’s not just a two-storey restaurant on the cards – there’ll also be an adjacent retail unit, with the aspiration to reintegrate a post office into the town.

Cllr Walsh, chairman of the Local Partnership Group and Central Bedfordshire Council Executive for Planning and Waste, said: “Our high streets and town centres are integral to the vitality and sustainability of the area and are places where people can shop and socialise, and where businesses can thrive.

“I have no doubt that these imaginative projects will greatly assist the respective town councils with their plans to improve their town centres, many of which are held in high regard by local people and visitors alike. It will be exciting to see the progress of the projects and I’m very much looking forward to visiting the towns when the projects are completed.”

The other towns to receive cash are Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Houghton Regis.