Pride in Place: Rossendale
Find out more about what the Pride in Place scheme means for Rossendale
£20 MILLION FOR ROSSENDALE
Rossendale’s Pride in Place plan has just been approved by the Government, and delivery is underway. Over the next ten years, £20 million will be invested across Rossendale, Waterfoot and Crawshawbooth.Â
What Pride in Place means for Rossendale
Pride in Place is a new way of organising investment into local communities, funded by the Government and secured by myself as your MP. Instead of councils and communities bidding against each other, the money comes with a ten year commitment and the decisions about how to spend it are made locally.Â
Rossendale’s funding is focused on the built-up area between Crawshawbooth, Rawtenstall and Waterfoot, though the projects are expected to impact the whole valley, not only those in the Pride in Place areas. The funding is flexible so that it can be spent on whatever local people say matter most, whether that is the high street, green spaces, facilities for young people, community buildings, safer streets or something else which would never have been thought of by central government.
Delivering for Rossendale
Rossendale’s Pride in Place plan is the product of more than two years of community engagement. Residents, businesses and community organisations were asked what mattered to them, what was holding the area back and what they wanted to see change. Ideas were submitted through an open call in the summer of 2025.Â
That work is overseen by Rossendale’s Pride in Place board, chaired independently by Iain Taylor. The Board brings together local residents and community representatives alongside businesses, Rossendale Borough Council and the police alongside myself as your MP.
The Board approved the ten year vision and four year investment plan in November 2025. This was approved by the Government in March 2026 and funding has begun to be drawn down from April.
The ProjectsÂ
Delivery is beginning with:
- Redevelopment of the former picture house on Bacup Road.
- Public realm improvements in Waterfoot.
- A new road layout scheme in Crawshawbooth.
- A new community base on the Staghills Estate.
- Upgrades to bike tracks and footpaths.
- A creative skills mentoring programme and public art initiatives.
- A young people’s enterprise and entrepreneurship scheme.
- Strengthening links between schools and local businesses.
- A business activation grant scheme supporting new or expanding businesses to open up in empty shops.
Alongside these, the programme will also deliver:
- A community grants scheme.
- A new learning space at the Whitaker Museum.
- Football pitch improvements at Alder Grange and Marl Pits.
- New play equipment at Edgeside Park.
The programme will also tackle neglected places, support building repairs, and bring open spaces and heritage assets back into use through a programme of events and activities.Â
Taken together, the aim is thriving high streets, better parks and public spaces, improved community facilities, safer neighbourhoods, and new opportunities for young people, creatives and digital entrepreneurs.Â
Already Underway
Rossendale Works, delivered by Active Lancashire on behalf of Rossendale Borough Council, has launched a free Employment and Wellbeing Support Programme funded through Pride in Place.Â
It runs every Wednesday at Marl Pits Leisure Centre and is open to Rossendale residents who are not currently in employment, education or training. It offers free gym membership, the chance to meet local employers, employability support, and access to free training and qualifications.
The Community Grants Scheme
A community grants scheme is being launched later this year, with £180,000 of capital funding available over four years for community led projects that contribute to regeneration, placemaking and wellbeing.
Find Out More
If you want to get involved, find out more about a particular project, or ask about upcoming tender opportunities, Rossendale Borough Council’s economic development team is the place to start.
You can also read the full ten year regeneration plan for Rawtenstall, Waterfoot and Crawshawbooth, which sets out the vision, the evidence behind it, and how the money will be governed.
Ten Years of Pride in Place
Most government funding has a short timetable and is directed from Whitehall. The ten years of Pride in Place funding is long enough to achieve lasting results, and the decisions are being made by people who live and work here, not by officials who have never been to the valley.Â
You can check out more information on these projects below. The shape on the map shows roughly the areas covered by Pride in Place funding. This is only intended to be a visual reference, and for further information you can consult Rossendale Borough Council’s Pride in Place page.
I, and the rest of the Rossendale Pride in Place Board, will be keeping you updated on the progress of these schemes and the impact they have.
GET IN TOUCH
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