An application has been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for nearly £2 million to rejuvenate Wisbech High Street.

The HLF will spend the next few months reviewing the stage one application in detail before its board makes a decision in January 2015.

If the initial application is successful, there will be another period dedicated to developing a second stage application, which could be submitted to the HLF for final consideration in January 2016.

A total of £480,000 has already been pledged towards the project - £200,000 from Cambridgeshire County Council, £230,000 from Fenland District Council, £25,000 from Wisbech Town Council and £25,000 from the Wisbech Society.

The money would be spent on repairing buildings and bringing them back into use.

Other proposals include adult training in conservation construction at the College of West Anglia with taster modules at Thomas Clarkson Academy.

Accredited building maintenance courses would be put on for owners, stewards and occupiers.

Community archaeology events would be staged and interior and shop front design work experience organised with students from the Thomas Clarkson Academy

Young people not in employment, education or training would take part in the restoration work and the national Heritage Open Days programme would be expanded.

Gary Garford, corporate director at Fenland District Council, said: “We are delighted to have had such great support from local groups and both the county and town councils and hope that will help to make a stronger case to the HLF for their investment.

“We would like to thank the local community for their vital contributions to the application, whether that has been via the pro-active consultative group which has met every month over 2014, the wonderful and creative students at the Thomas Clarkson Academy or the general public for attending and giving their views at consultation events.

“We will provide an update on progress in the New Year when we have heard the outcome of the stage one application.”