WITH new buildings going up in Calne's town centre, residents in one of the older parts of town are being offered the chance to clean up their buildings.

Town mayor Eric Porter is urging tenants of Wood Street and Curzon Street to take advantage of money available from English Heritage to smarten up their shopfronts.

North Wiltshire District Council has secured grant funding of £55,000 a year for the next three years for the refurbishment and regeneration of the area under the Heritage and Economic Regeneration Scheme.

In addition, Calne Town Council is to contribute £50,000 over the same three-year period.

Coun Porter said: "This funding allows a concentration of resources for the central Calne, to provide grant funding to assist owners who need to carry out comprehensive repair of their historic buildings, as well as for some environmental improvements."

The area, which has both retail and residential use, includes a motorbike shop, kitchen shop, a restaurant, a takeaway and an estate agent.

A list of the buildings which qualify for the grants is available to anyone with properties in the area from the Bank House visitor centre.

Coun Porter said: "I would like to encourage owners of retail premises in this area to take up this offer of funding towards refurbishing their buildings, which in turn will add to the attraction of this special part of Calne."

He urged anyone thinking of taking up the offer of funding to make enquiries soon.

"If the money from English Heritage is not used within the three-year period it will be lost to Calne and that would be a great pity,"he said.