POOLE Quay will benefit from a £42,000 facelift next year after it successfully bid for part of the government’s £3m Coastal Revival fund.

Ageing road and pavement surfaces will be replaced and unnecessary signage, bins and guardrails removed as part of the improvements carried out to public areas on the Quay.

The money allocated is part of the government’s drive to improve the UK’s coastal areas and give funding to communities wanting to rejuvenate their towns.

There was high interest in the £3million revival fund, which received 222 bids, totalling £9million.

Ten Dorset projects in total have been awarded funding including Swanage Pier, the Mill Lane Revival project in Wareham and the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis.

Cllr Ian Potter, Borough of Poole cabinet portfolio holder for planning and regeneration, said: “It’s great that Poole has been awarded this important funding as it is a catalyst to begin improving the appearance of Poole Quay and develop a long-term strategy to manage our coastal heritage assets.”

He continued: “Poole Quay is a popular destination with residents and visitors alike. It is the focus of the town centre’s night-time economy and hosts around 50 local events a year, so it’s important that we invest in this area.

“These initial improvements will benefit our residents, local businesses and tourists who use Poole’s bustling historic quayside.”

The money will enable a full topographical survey of the Quay to be carried out to help shape long-term improvements and enable better pedestrian access between the Quay’s shops and restaurants.

The work is linked with that of the Coastal Community Teams, which are working to put together economic plans for the coastal area.

The Dorset Coast Forum is one of the county’s five teams and supported nine of the 16 bids submitted. It will continue to help Dorset’s coastal areas benefit from future funding opportunities.

Bridget Betts, Dorset Coast Forum coordinator, said: “We were extremely pleased to help and support some of those who were successful, and we are striving to work in partnership to deliver a community economic plan for the whole of the Dorset coast.

“This will help us to gain more funding to revive our coastal areas.”

Preparations are underway to start the works at Poole Quay early next year, with completion scheduled for the end of March 2016.