THE chance to secure up to £25 million in Government funding to revitalise Colchester has been described as a once in a generation opportunity for the town.

Colchester Council is working with Essex County Council bosses and business leaders as part of the We Are colchester partnership to pull together a bid for the cash from the Government’s Town Deal fund.

The board hopes to secure as much of the money as possible, which will in turn unlock millions more investment in the town from other sources.

Simon Blaxill, managing director of Kent Blaxill and chairman of the We Are Colchester partnership board, said Colchester was lucky to have been chosen to bid for the Town Deal cash.

He said: “We cannot conquer the world all at once, it is about creating some short term projects but also developing a long term vision for the town.

“It has got to be a vision for 20 or 25 years time which is a way of enabling us to make Colchester a better place.

“Everyone understandably wants instant results so there is a balance to be struck between having some instant projects which give quick pay offs and longer term planning.

“The £25 million is not a whole lot of money so it has to be a springboard to allow us to get so much more. I am genuinely really excited about the project and the people behind the scenes have done a brilliant job.”

“Things won’t change overnight and some projects will be delivered straight away but others will take longer.”

Read more >>> Detailed plans for Colchester's £25m Town Deal bid revealed

Colchester Council’s business boss David King said the cash up for grabs was coming at an opportune moment as the town turns its attention to recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

He said: “Our regeneration is coming at just the right time and it really is a once in a generation opportunity.

“We could not be better placed in terms of the fundamentals in Colchester in terms of the resilience of our local economy and the quality and mix of what we have here in the town.

“We are determined to see our town and its residents through this crisis as best as we can. The circumstances are terrible but they are conducive to change.”

Mr Blaxill added: “Everybody and every business is re-evaluating things at the moment in the wake of Covid. Perhaps some more difficult decisions are made a bit easier because of the situation we are in.”

Colchester Council leader Mark Cory said the board had listened to residents’ feedback before drawing up its investment plan.

Making the town more attractive, cycling, young people, green projects and tourism were amongst the areas residents wanted to see investment.

Mr Cory said: “The board is working really well together and it is good to see through this engagement we have been thinking along the same lines as residents.

“It is a great time to have this available to us and it can be a catalyst for Colchester as an ambitious town, helping us grow as we prepare to exit the Covid crisis.

“I think we are going to come out of the crisis stronger for a number of reasons with the Town Deal being one.”