Publication
Expanding the Town Centre First Initiative
- Published on: 13 November 2025
- Last updated on: 13 November 2025
The Town Centre First (TCF) Policy, launched in 2022, is a whole-of-Government approach to revitalising towns and villages. Its goal is to:
- Tackle vacancy and dereliction
- Enable people to live and work in vibrant town centres
- Protect the environment and heritage of our towns
How It Works
- Town Regeneration Officers lead local delivery, working with Vacant Homes Officers and other stakeholders.
- They combine efforts to address dereliction with wider urban regeneration projects funded by Government.
What’s Changing?
- Dedicated teams will be set up in every local authority to manage Town Centre First actions.
- These teams will deliver projects funded under:
- Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF)
- Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF)
- Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS)
Key Towns
- All towns with a population over 10,000 will be designated as ‘key towns’.
- Towns slightly below this threshold will also be considered for funding.