AMT Public » frontpage http://towns.org.uk Promoting vibrant and viable small towns Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:41:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Town of the week: 8th February 2012 http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/town-of-the-week-8th-february-2012/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/town-of-the-week-8th-february-2012/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:59:25 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11630 This week’s AMT Town of the Week is a wonderful riverside town, tourist centre and thriving residential community, located on the banks of the river Great Ouse.  The town’s record breaking Guided Busway provides a trouble free, easy access route to and from Cambridge with buses running on a regular basis – and puts the town in a unique position of being classed as a railway station without having a railway track!

The town has been a place of importance through the centuries with its Easter fair one of the busiest in England drawing crowds from all over Europe during the 1100s.  Indeed it was its markets and fairs that led to the founding of the town.  In the 17th Century it was the home of Oliver Cromwell.

Its shopping centre has a good mix of independent traders and multinationals.  The original character is retained with regular markets held every Monday and Friday with Bank Holiday markets being very popular.  On the first and third Saturdays of each month an excellent Farmer’s Market takes place.

In June 2009 the town centre partnership launched its award winning independent town loyalty card, which helps local businesses to increase their revenue and rewards customers for shopping locally. The scheme has proven a great success and is a previous winner of an Action for Market Towns Award.

A focal point is the splendid 15th Century Bridge and chapel over the river and is one of only three such surviving bridges in England.  The Norris Museum houses a collection of books, manuscripts and objects relating to the history of Huntingdonshire bequeathed to the town by Herbert Norris on his death in 1931.

So, where is it?

Do you recognise this town from the description above?

If you do, post your answer in a tweet to AMT (@townsalive) with the hashtag #amtotw

We’ll reveal the name of the town on Friday 10th February!

What next?

]]> http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/town-of-the-week-8th-february-2012/feed/ 0 Report from AMT Parliamentary reception http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/report-from-amt-parliamentary-reception/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/report-from-amt-parliamentary-reception/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:47:07 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11614 AMT Reception

February 2012

MPs from across England and Wales joined Action for Market Towns’ chief executive, policy manager and board members, and several Award-winning member towns, at a Parliamentary reception this week to debate the future for small towns – where over 1/5th of the the population live.

AMT members praised

Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, hosted the reception, and in his opening speech referred to AMT members who have used their town centre partnerships to secure prosperous futures, seize opportunities, tackle neglect and revitalise their town centres. Jonathan highlighted particularly successful initiatives in Mold, Middlewich, St Ives and Huntingdon, all of which have previously won Action for Market Towns Awards.

Chris Wade, AMT’s Chief Executive, said: “there is a long tradition of self-reliance and enterprise in our isolated small towns with often effective leadership shown by town councils, community partnerships and business associations.

“After a busy year of contributing positively to policy development, we look forward to sharing good practice and supporting towns to make the most of the policy agenda. We are doing this by supporting town teams; neighbourhood planning, measuring economic performance and helping towns see themselves as ‘department stores’ that offer something more that the bland shopping experience of out-of-town shopping malls. We are even investing in developing an imaginative town-wide loyalty card that can attract new customers and capture a percentage of spend to re-invest in improving and promoting town centres.”

The reception also marked the formal launch of the Action for Market Towns Awards 2012 – Britain’s top awards for town community projects.

Photograph shows Alison Eardley, AMT Policy Manager, and David Hanson, MP for Delyn (centre),  joined by the Mayor (Cllr Ray Dodd – left in photo) and Town Centre Manager (David Hill – right in photo) of Mold at AMT’s parliamentary reception.

What next?

]]> http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/08/report-from-amt-parliamentary-reception/feed/ 0 Kendal minted as AMT plans annual convention http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/kendal-minted-as-amt-plans-annual-convention/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/kendal-minted-as-amt-plans-annual-convention/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:07 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11540 Action for Market Towns (AMT) today announced Kendal as the location for its 2012 annual conference after the Cumbria town beat impressive bids from towns across the country wanting to host the event.
The charity expects over 200 delegates representing market and small towns from all over the UK to attend the convention, taking place on the 18th and 19th of October in Kendal’s Town Hall.]]> Press release 1.2.2012

2 day autumn event will bring over £100,000 to local economy

National charity Action for Market Towns (AMT) today announced Kendal as the location for its 2012 annual conference after the Cumbria town beat impressive bids from towns across the country wanting to host the event.

The charity expects over 200 delegates representing market and small towns from all over the UK to attend the convention, taking place on the 18th and 19th of October in Kendal’s Town Hall.

Delegates will exchange ideas, discuss Government policy – and how it affects them – and learn from practical workshops covering how to improve their towns.

Speakers and workshop leaders from all over the UK – including policymakers and other key national figures – will share their advice; and study tours of Kendal will showcase some of its own best practice and innovative ideas which are helping the town to thrive.

Alongside the convention AMT will announce the winners of the 2012 Action for Market Towns National Awards – Britain’s top award for community projects in small towns and villages.

2011’s convention, in Ludlow, brought over £100,000 of additional spending to the town as well as widespread TV, radio and newspaper coverage.  AMT expect record numbers for 2012.

Chris Wade, AMT’s Chief Executive, said:

“We all know that now is a critical time for small towns, market towns, and town centres.  One in five people in the UK live in or around small towns; and small towns are facing many challenges. But it’s not all gloom and doom. Thousands of projects have been developed through local initiative, most often led by town partnerships of businesses, community organisations, local councils and individual volunteers. And in AMT towns have a champion – sharing innovative ideas and case studies of what towns can do to survive and to thrive, helping them navigate the latest government policies.

“Our national convention is a key date for representatives from towns all over the UK – they come along to learn about new, practical solutions to challenges, to debate, to share ideas, and to network. And if they can’t attend they follow the action through AMT’s online coverage and news coverage – 2011’s event attracted extensive radio, TV and newspaper attention.

“It’s critical therefore that AMT chooses a host town that is itself exemplary and we are delighted to announce that Kendal is the host for the 2012 convention. Kendal matches AMT’s vision of a ‘Town Alive’ and put in an incredibly impressive bid to stage the event. We look forward to working with Kendal Town Council, South Lakeland District Council and Kendal Futures to make this year’s event the biggest and best ever.”

The Convention will be supported by Kendal Town Council, South Lakeland District Council and Kendal Futures.

Council Leader Brendan Jameson said:

“SLDC is delighted to support this event.  Kendal has a mix of heritage, culture and festivals, a diverse shopping experience and a strong education offer with Kendal College, making it an ideal place for other town leaders to explore and engage with.”

Kendal Futures worked closely with Kendal Town Council, South Lakeland District Council and Kendal College to secure the event.

Town Councillor Austen Robinson, who sits on the Kendal Futures Board, said:

“Kendal Town Council is looking forward to welcoming AMT to Kendal.  We may be well known for our Mint Cake, but this is a great opportunity to put us on the national map and show that there’s much more to this thriving market town.  Our approach to partnership working is helping to address successfully the challenges facing us today.”

ENDS

Chris Wade, Chief Executive of Action for Market Towns, is available for interview.

Press enquiries: Jamie Veitch, 07904 272 200.

Notes to editors:

Action for Market Towns

  1. Action for Market Towns (AMT) is a national charity committed to the vitality and viability of our small towns. www.towns.org.uk
  2. It has a national network of members and works with Town Councils, Community and town partnerships, emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, and independent  / selected partner businesses
  3. It offers training, consultancy, national advocacy and a range of other services to more than 400 members
  4. For press enquiries please contact Jamie Veitch on 07904 272 200 or email news@towns.org.uk

Kendal Futures

  1. Kendal Futures is the regeneration partnership for Kendal. It has a board consisting of local representatives from both the public and private sector and has been set up to deliver key projects in the town.
  2. Kendal Futures has a project co-ordinator working closely with the board members to spearhead a range of projects aimed at improving the economic wellbeing of the town.
  3. For more information about Kendal Futures contact: Paula Scott, Project Coordinator, Kendal Futures on 07585 665636 or p.scott@southlakeland.gov.uk

What next?

]]> http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/kendal-minted-as-amt-plans-annual-convention/feed/ 0 Town of the week: 1st February 2012: Southam http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/town-of-the-week-1st-february-2012/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/town-of-the-week-1st-february-2012/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:18:16 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11550 Its shops cluster around the High St and Market Hill, offering a quirky diversity of wares including bridal gowns and bicycles.
Read the full description and tweet where you think this town is - by 4th February]]> This week’s Town of the Week, Southam, is a traditional Warwickshire market town with its earliest roots in the tenth century.

Its shops cluster around the High St and Market Hill, offering a quirky diversity of wares including bridal gowns and bicycles. The local cafés/pubs offer a range of dining and refreshments for shoppers and visitors. Historic buildings including the Manor House, the fourteenth-century Olde Mint pub and the former Craven Arms coaching inn which stand out as gems much appreciated.  Free car parking enables visitors to enjoy a longer stay.

Heritage

Heritage is hugely important and valued in this town – the rejuvenated Holy Well, the grade-one listed St James Church  and the elegant Warwick House are all worthy of a visit. Dedicated residents preserve and promote the Cardall Collection – artefacts and documents which encapsulate the town’s history over the last five hundred years. This town was granted a market charter in 1227 and today there is a popular Tuesday market, plus a Farmers’ Market once a month. Crowd-drawing events include the Mop Fair and the Christmas themed markets, as well as regular screenings of the rural cinema and concerts at the Grange Hall.

An opportunity…

In order to thrive and succeed as high streets across the country face increasing competition, the town has an invaluable opportunity to deliver real change to improve the appearance and viability of the town centre. This opportunity arises from the receipt of planning condition funds associated with the new Tesco store. This funding is solely dedicated to a range of town centre improvements including business support, shopfront enhancements, new events and community/visitor services. The main driver behind these changes is the town’s Town Centre Partnership. The partnership provides equal partnership opportunities between business owners, residents, community groups, local authorities and other local services who are responsible for the selection and delivery of robust projects which support the sustainability of the town by increasing footfall, length of stay and spend in the town centre.

What next?

]]> http://towns.org.uk/2012/02/01/town-of-the-week-1st-february-2012/feed/ 0 Getting to Grips with Localism and Neighbourhood Planning – Buckinghamshire http://towns.org.uk/2012/01/23/getting-to-grips-with-localism-and-neighbourhood-planning-buckinghamshire/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/01/23/getting-to-grips-with-localism-and-neighbourhood-planning-buckinghamshire/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:04:12 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11468 Thursday 8 March in Chesham, Buckinghamshire]]> When

Thursday 8 March 2012

Where

Chesham Town Hall, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. HP5 1DS

The long debated Localism Bill finally became an Act of Government in November 2011.

It’s a key piece of coalition legislation providing a backbone to the Big Society and offers a range of new rights to communities to give them a greater role in shaping where they live.

Practical workshop

Following the unprecedented demand for bookings at the ‘Getting to Grips with Localism and Neighbourhood Planning’ event scheduled to take place in York in February, AMT is pleased to announce a replica event, to be held in Chesham, Buckinghamshire on 8 March.

Book now

This workshop, organised in Partnership with Buckinghamshire Business First,  will focus on the Localism Act and what it means in reality to communities living in and around market towns.

We will give you not only the information but also the tools to enable you to apply localism in your own area.

The programme

After an update on the Localism Act and an explanation of its different elements, this workshop will focus on one particular aspect of the Act: Neighbourhood Development Plans, including how they relate to existing Community Led Planning, whether you need one and what your next steps might be.

You will also learn how best to set up or strengthen your Plan Forum or Committee to ensure that your plan is fully representational.

 

Who should attend?

This workshop will be of interest to

  • town and parish councils who are considering doing a Neighbourhood Plan or updating their existing parish plan
  • communities in non-parished areas who are interested in setting up a Neighbourhood Forum
  • local authority staff who want to help their towns make the most of the opportunities presented by Localism
  • residents or councillors who want to understand more about the process and what’s involved

What will you learn?

Through a range of presentations, discussion group sessions and practical case study illustrations, by the end of the day you will have:

  • gained a greater understanding of what the Localism Act is, its key contents and process, including what the new Community Rights to Challenge, Buy and Build are and how your community might use them
  • been introduced to the relationship between Neighbourhood Planning and any existing Community Plan you may have, including how you can make a start in refreshing any existing plans to take advantage of the new opportunities offered under Localism and more effectively tie in with the statutory plans for your area.
  • heard direct from one of the ‘Front Runner’ towns, who has already started developing a  Neighbourhood Plan and learn about the challenges and successes they have faced so far.

 

Book now

The cost of attending this event is subsidised, with attendance fees starting at just £35 including lunch for AMT members.

In addition, Buckingham Business First are subsidising places for up to 12 Non-AMT member towns/organisations based in Buckinghamshire to attend for just £35 (maximum 2 per organisation).

We also have an introductory offer for non-AMT members of £75, which includes three months trial membership.

See the booking form for more information on all rates.

 

Venue

The workshop will be held at Chesham Town Council . Chesham is accessible from the M40, M1 and M25 motorways and is on the (London Underground) Metropolitan Line.

Joining instructions will be emailed out to booked delegates nearer the time but can be downloaded here meanwhile: Joining Instructions, Chesham 8th March

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the event please contact Susannah Maxwell on 01284 756567 or at susannah.maxwell@towns.org.uk

What next?

]]> http://towns.org.uk/2012/01/23/getting-to-grips-with-localism-and-neighbourhood-planning-buckinghamshire/feed/ 0 MPs convene to discuss the future of the High Street – highlights from the debate http://towns.org.uk/2012/01/19/mps-convene-to-discuss-the-future-of-the-high-street/ http://towns.org.uk/2012/01/19/mps-convene-to-discuss-the-future-of-the-high-street/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:33:57 +0000 Katie Fewings http://towns.org.uk/?p=11432 More than 50 MPs from constituencies across the country met on 17 January to discuss the changing role of the high street and potential measures to assist its future safeguarding and development.

Alison Eardley, AMT's Policy Manager, comments on the day's discussions.]]> Over 50 MPs from constituencies across the country met for 6 hours on Tuesday (17.1.2012) to discuss the changing role of the high street and potential measures to assist its future safeguarding and development.

AMT issued a briefing note to inform MPs before the debate.

Alison Eardley, AMT’s Policy Manager, comments on Tuesday’s discussions:

Action for Market Towns has long championed the high street which plays a vital role in the sustainability of our small and market towns, but which has been hard hit over the past few years.

This is due to many reasons including high rents, increased competition from out of town and internet-based stores, lack of (and perceived lack of) accessible parking, and a lack of co-ordination across all levels of governance to oversee development.   All this against the backdrop of recession with the latest ‘double dip’ scheduled to continue until at least 2013 (latest figures from The Ernst & Young Item Club and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR)).

Mary Portas’ review into the future of the high street therefore came at a very key moment and it was particularly pleasing that so many MPs participated in Tuesday’s debate, and expressed their commitment to safeguarding high streets and small towns:

“the future prosperity of British high streets is one of the biggest challenges the country faces. There is no simple solution to the problem. It seems, however, that with innovation, team work and an understanding of the needs of the people, high streets could once again flourish in this country” (the full transcript of the debate is available at Hansard).

Points raised included:

Car parking and accessibility

A very visible issue for many town centres and many of the MPs touched on the subject.  Many, including Andrew Percy MP (Brigg and Goole), promoted the value of offering reduced or free parking and Stephen Mosley MP (Chester) gave the example from Chester where free parking is offered from 3pm, a model which has raised footfall by 23% and which is being emulated elsewhere. The challenge will be how local authorities can consider options which might have a negative impact on their budgets.

Andrew Bingham MP (High Peak) mentioned the challenges posed by access into small towns, perhaps pointing towards a need for more integrated transport policy when thinking of future development.

Planning

Chris White MP (Warwick and Leamington) made the case for small towns where over one fifth of the population lives.  He put forward the case for them to be viewed as smaller ecosystems to cities, requiring greater care and special consideration.  He and others pushed for acceptance and strengthening of the ‘Town Centres First’ policy with town centres being the backbone of communities and local economies.

Neighbourhood Planning was viewed as a positive policy for enabling local people to have a greater say over development in their towns.  In addition Jonathan Reynolds MP (Stalybridge and Hyde) talked about the potential that change of use orders could bring by making it easier to alter the current use of shops and properties.

The impact of edge- and out-of-town shopping

There was much debate about the impact that large developments have on an existing town centre.  James Gray MP (North Wiltshire) spoke passionately about the impending developments in the market town of Malmesbury and the need to bring in measures to encourage development in centres as opposed to outside.

The other side of the coin, however, was that larger stores do provide much needed jobs and can in some cases provide a magnet for bringing shoppers into adjoining high streets.  Sarah Newton MP (Truro and Falmouth) talked about the significance of BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) as a model for small and large stores to work proactively together.

George Hollinbery MP (Meon Valley) called for people to be put back in charge of their high streets and felt that the local plan is not effective in restraining development that puts undue competition on the high street.  He called for the Minister to consider including in the emerging NPPF the recent proposal to require any unplanned out-of-town supermarket to be reviewed by the Secretary of State to see if it should be formally called in.

Business incentives

A number of MPs raised the difficulties in finding banks to lend to new and existing businesses.  Peter Aldous MP (Waveney) agreed with the Portas Review’s call for trade to be made easier on the high street by reducing regulations and restrictions and introducing a more balanced tax and rating system.

Enhancing activity in the town centre

Debate focused around the need to bring more activity into the high street and open spaces.  Bringing together local performance groups to take part in the wider life of the community, making the high street a place to come to walk, relax and have fun.

Carol Dineage MP (Gosport), Paul Uppal MP (Wolverhampton South West) and others made the point that high streets are about much more than simply business and retail, rather they provide the heart of the community – this resonates, of course, with what AMT has said for a long time.

Empty Shops

Many MPs raised this issue which can be a real blot on any high street. The challenge is to explore how to bring empty shops back into use including the use of pop-up shops, the use of Section 215 to take action at the local authority level, providing further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving their units vacant or in disrepair, encouraging flexibility and short-term lets in the rental market.

Shop local initiatives

Comments focused on the role that the business and local community can have in helping to increase footfall and loyalty in town centres.  Rehman Chishti MP (Gillingham and Rainham) talked about the success of Medway Council’s local discount card while Karen Bradley MP (Staffordshire Moorlands) shared her experiences from Leek, where the totally locally Leek initiative has been developed by independent shopkeepers.

The idea is that if everybody who lived in Leek spent £5 each week in a local shop rather than on the internet, it would be worth £4 million to the local economy.

Stuart Andrew MP (Pudsey) mentioned their Shop Local campaign which has led to a series of events and media opportunities.

Local leadership

The idea of ‘Town Teams’ was welcomed as a way of bringing partnerships together to lead the debate locally.

The Government’s Response

In his response to the discussion, Grant Shapps stated that Government intends to implement as many of the Mary Portas review recommendations as possible.  He also called for MPs across the country to continue the debate back in their constituencies to start bringing together the partnerships needs to revive town centres.

Key to the debate is learning from what already works and is tried and tested, and finding innovative ways to share and learn from this.  As Chris Ruane MP (Vale of Clwyd) said on Tuesday, “If best practice is out there, let us bring it back to our high streets”.

Of course, this is where AMT and our members can help! Do continue to keep your MPs informed of the best practice we share.

The Government intends to select a number of high streets to undertake pilots for initiatives. High streets are extremely variable and differ greatly depending a host of factors.  AMT urges the Minister to pick a wide range to allow for the greatest learning that can be adapted and shared.

Many MPs whose constituencies include small towns participated on Tuesday. This augurs well for a continuation of the discussion at a Reception being hosted by Action for Market Towns on 6 February in the Palace of Westminster.  Over 30 MPs will find out more about the work of AMT as well as having the opportunity to speak in more detail with some of our recent Annual Market Town Award winners.

What next?

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