Transforming your Space

Fresh Futures manages the Transforming your Space grant programme on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund, and although the programme has now closed for applications, we will continue to work with successful applicants to deliver their projects. The programme is designed to help communities improve their local environments by making them safer, healthier, greener, cleaner, better designed, more welcoming and accessible to all. A total grant fund of £4.5 million was available, with the fund finally closing on 31 March 2005. Grants offered to date have varied from £20,000 to £150,000.

The programme is structured to target the themes of:

Improving Local Environments

Projects within this theme will improve the quality of the local environment, or its appearance and amenity. For example projects may tackle local eyesores and pollution, or address the safety and design of the street environment, or tackle endemic issues such as litter, graffiti and vandalism.

Public Green and Open Spaces

Projects within this theme will transform green and open spaces, or create new ones, so that they become used by local people and valued as an important part of the local environment. Public green and open spaces cover a range of types, from play areas and river margins to public parks. They may be enhanced in a wide variety of ways.

Local Access

Projects within this theme will create or improve local walking or cycling routes that provide a service to the community, by providing access to green space or off-street pathways. Such routes should enhance the quality of life for a community, by providing for recreation, by offering safer and more pleasant routes to local services, and should contribute to reduction of traffic pollution and congestion.

Community Gardens

Projects under this theme should create or upgrade a local public garden amenity that brings social, environmental and economic benefits for the community.

Making community assets more sustainable

Projects within this theme will increase the sustainability of community assets. For physical assets such as community buildings, projects might enhance the energy performance of the building, improve its surroundings, or make it easier for the community to manage. In addition projects should facilitate learning in the community about sustainable build, design and refurbishment practices.

Further detailed information, including the eligibility and assessment criteria, can be found in the Transforming your Space Guidance Notes. These can be downloaded from the toapply page.