Altside is generally considered to be an affluent area and consequently does not qualify for grant aid and handouts from central government or the EU. With the squeeze on local authority budgets over the last 25 years much of its publicly funded infrastructure has been inevitably neglected. Sefton Lane Industrial Estate, Central Square and a plethora of other secondary shopping parades throughout the area are saddled with outdated street furniture, inappropriate parking arrangements and worn out service roads and pavements. Altside business village is working on imaginative and pragmatic schemes to help regenerate these areas and enable local businesses to increase their competitiveness.