A minimum of £40k of RDPE funding is ring fenced for each of the market towns of Loddon, Eye, Diss, Harleston, Halesworth, Bungay and Beccles until February 2011. We are looking for each of these towns to submit a collaborative application to help improve the economic performance of the town and the Waveney Valley.

The funding can be split between a number of Measures and it is up to the town to make its own decisions. However it is intended that the following three measures make up the bulk of the grant:

– Basic Services for the Economy and Rural Population (321)

– Encouragement of Tourism Activities (313)

– Conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage (323)

These measures have been selected for a number of reasons:

– They will provide the town the greatest level of flexibility in achieving both their aims and those of the Local Development Strategy (LDS).

– They will enable the town to fully integrate the Waveney Valley Identity concept outlined in the LDS and developed through the Identity Project Report.

– These measures will maximise the effectiveness of the market town to support its rural hinterland.

The Waveney Valley is home to one of the most concentrated collections of traditional markets town in England. These towns form the life line to their rural hinterlands and as such are critical to the development and prosperity of the people who live and work throughout the Waveney Valley.

RDPE funding has been secured for the Waveney Valley area and is being delivered through a local action group and a LDS. During the early stages of the programme funding ideas from the market towns have not been forthcoming. The Local Action Group have therefore identified that special action is needed to enable the market towns to come forward for funding.

The approach adopted has been developed in line with the rules of the programme and guidance from EEDA and it is hoped will give the market towns the opportunity to develop a project with will both fit their needs and those identified for the area as a whole in the LDS.

The funding request needs to progress through a number of stages. This is to ensure that the application complies with the rules and objectives of the programme, to ensure that time, money and support is provided to a project at the correct time and to ensure that the management team for the funding have a clear idea of what is being developed and the time frames it’s working to.

For grants under £50k there are two opportunities for the market towns to submit an application, the key dates for these are:

Round 1

1. Project outline (Ideas form) by 13th April 2010

2. Response to project outline by the Facilitator by 29th April 2010

3. Shortened application by 30th June 2010

Round 2

1. Project outline (Ideas form) by 1st October

2. Response to project outline by the Facilitator by 15th October 2011

3. Shortened application by 7th January 2011

For grants over £50k the standard application process will be required; project ideas form, followed by concept presented to the Local Action Group (LAG) and if approved Full Business Case. Full Business Case must be submitted by December 2010. The facilitator will provide guidance to applications which fit this process.

All applications will need to conform to the rules of the Rural Development Programme for England. All applications will be technically appraised and must be approved by the LAG before any expenditure can be incurred. Guidance on these rules can be received from the programme facilitator. The following guidance has been included to help the applicants to clearly identify some of the early issues which are relevant to an application through this process.

– Up to 20% of the project costs can be made up from in-kind match funding.

– Matched funding can come from the public or private sector; RDPE and the Waveney Valley LAG expect to see private sector investment in all projects.

– We intend to award the minimum grant necessary in order for the project to proceed. We will be taking into account issues including: likely commercial return, level of risk and ability to secure matched funding.

– Clear support from the businesses and people of the town to the project will need to be shown.

– Full outline of how the town will use the identity of the Waveney Valley.

– Applications must come from a legally constituted group or organisation. If this is a public body clear evidence the beneficiaries of the funding are not a public body will be required.

– Only one application can be made in this way from each of the Indentified towns. (if more than one project is developed in a town the facilitator will mediate between the two applications to find a solution)

– Delegated grant programmes are not eligible through the RDPE therefore all project expenditure must be incurred by the applicant.

A launch event will be held on 23rd February at South Norfolk District Council, Swan Lane, Long Stratton at 10 a.m. The proposal will be fully explained for all towns. This will be followed by a 1-2-1 meeting for each town with the Facilitator.

Support for the development of the project will be available from a variety of organisations, the project Facilitator will support the application in terms of eligibility, process and systems and indentifying additional support services.

Support under the Micro Enterprise measure has not been included as it would prove difficult for collaborative projects of this nature to deliver the funding. In parallel to this programme, individual applications for funding can be made please see website for further details.