Some of Leicester's most historic buildings could soon be getting new life breathed into them - along with some new cafe furniture - as part of an initiative to bring the Greyfriars district back to its best.
The area has found itself firmly back at the top of the city's agenda ever since the discovery of King Richard III's remains there, in what is now a car park but was in 1485 the burial ground of Greyfriars Church.
Now the whole area is coming under greater attention and, in an effort to restore it to its former glory and make it 'fit for a king', over £1 million of Heritage Lottery funding has been allocated to the Greyfriars Townscape Heritage Initiative.
This invites applications to restore local buildings to full use, particularly on New Street, Friar Lane, Millstone Lane and Wycliffe Street, and on parts of St Martins and Peacock Lane.
Some of the funding will go towards architectural restoration - missing decorative masonry, original fences and windows, and so on.
But some is also earmarked for bringing disused floor space in the area's buildings back to regular use, and this could see new retail outlets, cafes and tourism centres created.
There is also the potential for new arts centres to open up, and these may also require cafe furniture if they are to have a tea room to accompany their gallery or exhibition space.
City mayor Peter Soulsby said: "Greyfriars contains many of Leicester's historic and architectural treasures and it is essential that we continue to invest in celebrating the area's heritage and realising its huge potential.
"This project will make substantial funding available to businesses and property owners in Greyfriars who want to work with us to bring about lasting improvements to buildings and the wider area."
Vanessa Harbar, head of Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, added: "We're pleased to support this project that will give Leicester's Greyfriars area some much-needed attention and revitalise its historic buildings.
"Combined with other improvements in the area, and the opening of the new King Richard III Visitor Centre, this scheme will help mark Leicester out as a destination for outstanding heritage."