A £6.6MILLION bid to ‘level up’ Dovercourt town centre has been unsuccessful.

Tendring Council’s cabinet had submitted proposals for funding to the Government’s £4.8billion Levelling Up Fund.

The Government announced today that the bid had failed.

But a £20million bid by the council for cash to create a new library and learning space, café, a community and commercial building and 28 homes, centred on Carnarvon House, Clacton, was successful.

The council had put forward three projects for Dovercourt, including the £3million development of the Milton Road site to include nine houses, tree planting and public parking bays.

It also included the refurbishment of Harwich Library to create two classrooms in a mezzanine space for the reintroduction of Adult Community Learning to the town, as well as provide space for council services and community use.

The third project included public realm improvements from Dovercourt station to Kingsway and the formalisation of the station parking and a new pedestrian crossing.

It is the first time the council had made a bid for funding for Dovercourt.

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock said: “It is disappointing that our bid for Dovercourt was not taken forward by the government.

“But we will continue to seek other funding for these projects, as well as looking to see if there are elements we can deliver ourselves, working with our local partners.”

Essex County Council’s transport bid for £18million was also unsuccessful, but the district council has been handed £1.18million of funding spread across three years under the Shared Prosperity Fund, which includes an allocation to support town centre improvement works.

Harwich mayor Ivan Henderson said: “It’s hugely disappointing news for Dovercourt.

“Both Harwich and Clacton are equally deserving of these bids for money.

“Harwich has been recognised as an area that is suffering from deprecation and a lack of regeneration

“This is another example of this terribly unfair competition bidding process that the Government is running.

“It raises people’s expectations - and it is demoralising when these types of bids fail.”

“We’re now at rock bottom and are looking towards the next bid, if there is one, to deliver these expected improvements.

“This is a prime example of why more control should be taken away from Government and devolved to local councils, who know where the investment is best needed.”