The Thetford Neighbourhood Board has confirmed at its latest board meeting that Government approval of the town’s Regeneration Plan means that the first tranche of the £20 million of Pride in Place investment is secured – a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Thetford over the next decade.
The Thetford Neighbourhood Board has announced at its latest board meeting that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has approved the town’s Regeneration Plan, unlocking the first four years of funding from the £20 million Pride in Place fund. The announcement was made at the Board’s latest meeting, held at the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre in the Abbey Estate.
The Regeneration Plan – co-designed with over a thousand local voices, including residents, businesses, and community organisations – sets out a comprehensive ten-year vision for the town. Investment will be targeted at regenerating the town centre and riverside, improving education and skills, strengthening community organisations, celebrating Thetford’s heritage and culture, improving the estates, and enhancing accessibility.
Programme delivery funding begins flowing from 2026/27, and the Board is already moving from planning into delivery. The recent £50,000 Community Support Fund was a huge success and actually delivered £69,000 of funding to support nine local organisations. A £200,000 Project Fund for larger-scale schemes aligned with the ten-year vision has also been agreed and will launch in the coming months.
Chair of the Thetford Neighbourhood Board, Jo Pearson DL, commented: “We chose to hold this meeting at the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre for a reason. The Abbey Estate is exactly the kind of place that deserves this investment – a community full of good people who deserve to see real, tangible change.
“The Thetford Neighbourhood Board is the town’s board, not a meeting in a room in an office somewhere remote from our community. We’ve taken our meetings to the Library, to Thetford Academy, to the Rugby Club – and this time to Abbey. That’s deliberate. This is a regeneration plan built by Thetford people, and we believe in taking it to the heart of our communities.
“Having the Government approve our plan is a powerful endorsement of the work this community has put in. Thetford has real potential – potential that has not always been recognised or invested in. Pride in Place gives us the tools to unlock it. The money is on its way, and as we’ve demonstrated with our Community Support Fund – granting £69,000 to community groups across the town – we are ready to get to work. For Thetford, by Thetford.”
Terry Jermy MP, added: “As a proud Thetfordian, I was thrilled when Thetford was confirmed to be a recipient of the Labour Government’s £20 million Pride in Place funding. The approval of our Regeneration Plan, shaped by the voices of Thetford residents, community organisations and businesses, shows the Government’s commitment to investing in our town, increasing opportunity, and strengthening pride in Thetford. Already, the Government’s investment into Thetford is being felt locally through the allocation of the Community Support Fund to nine community-led projects, all of which work incredibly hard to support local residents and our community, getting to the very heart of the programme’s mission.”
