CONFUSION over where investment money will end up in Barrow has been addressed by councillors.

The High Street Heritage Action Zone fund (HSHAZ), along with the Future High Street Fund, are both still on hold during lockdown, a council boss said.

Helen Houston, Barrow’s development services policy regeneration and information officer, said: “The goal is to make the high streets such as Duke Street, Ramsden Square, Abbey Road and Cornwallis Street a hive of cultural activity of events with a pot of £1.9million once lockdown ends."

Cllr Derek Brook, the lead member for community, questioned why some streets were included and not others.

He said: “This heritage fund was for the high street, then we went and put in for the big one – for the regeneration of the town centre itself. I question why we chose Duke Street, as many people don’t regard Duke Street as the high street?”

Ms Houston said the two projects were funded from two different pots.

She said: “The HSHAZ is now subject to rules as to where you could spend the money in Barrow, meaning the high street had to be within a conservation area, so for Barrow that is Abbey Road, Duke Street, along with some of the residential properties beside Duke Street, like the town hall and the area to the back of the town hall by Cornwallis Street.

“We could only look to work with these streets. We did ask Historic England if we should look at Duke Street and Abbey Road and they felt that Duke Street had more shops and services.”

Cllr Brook said: “When we put in for the money, there was no mention of this.”

Ms Huston said the name was ‘Future High Street Fund,’ to revitalise Barrow’s infrastructure in the town centre.

Councillors voted to proceed after lockdown.