Northallerton High Street Heritage Action Zone

Northallerton is an attractive rural market town with many handsome Georgian buildings. Located between the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, it's been part of the route north since Roman times. It continued to be significant in the coaching era as a staging point on the Great North Road from London to Edinburgh. The town has long been a centre for trade, with a twice weekly market, weekly livestock auction and an annual May Fair.

However, the once vibrant appearance of the town is beginning to deteriorate. Vacant shops are becoming an increasingly familiar sight and the thoroughfares and historic passageways leading off the High Street are looking rundown. There’s a concern the decline will continue as many young people leave the town for better job opportunities and more affordable housing.

Despite its rich heritage, most visitors are unaware of the town's historic importance and opportunities to capitalise on this are being lost.

How the Northallerton High Street Heritage Action Zone will help

Funding from the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme will provide landlords with the opportunity to restore their historic shop fronts, and a number of the historic ginnels will be refurbished. There will also be a feasibility study undertaken to look at how underused upper floors of buildings could be converted into affordable homes for young people. Training opportunities will be provided in the traditional building skills needed to carry out repairs to historic structures. The hidden history of Northallerton will be brought to life through the introduction of an augmented reality app for locals and visitors.

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Working in partnership with

• North Yorkshire Council