RTCP : Action Plan

Introduction

This report is the result of extensive public consultation undertaken by Huntingdonshire District Council and a voluntary steering committee composed of interested local parties.

The Action Plan was approved in the latter part of 2001 and this followed a year of public consultations, meetings, discussions and comments from a wide cross-section of local residents, local groups and businesses.

During the final public meeting the Town Centre Partnership Executive Committee was formed in order to drive through the Action Plan. A constitution was agreed for the operations of this committee and as part of its remit affiliate membership was made available to local businesses, organised groups and individuals. These members are entitled to nominate and elect the 10 members of the committee each year. In addition to this number of committee members the Town Council, District Council and County Council are all offered seats on the executive committee.

The Huntingdonshire District Council who provides an annual grant towards the implementation of the Action Plan supports the Town Centre Partnership and they also provide officer support.

The Action Plan was agreed some three years ago and now requires updating so as to reflect today’s objectives in a more compact and manageable format. This report sets out to achieve this.

Statement of Intent

The Action Plan was designed to provide an outline of the Town Centre Partnership’s vision for the future of Ramsey. It is accepted that Ramsey needs a vibrant Town Centre in order to attract people, to be seen as a friendly market place and to be the meeting place and cultural centre of the area.

This vision encompasses a number of objectives:

To encourage those interested parties in terms of their organisation, determination and commitment to the overall aims of the partnership
To encourage a visible sense of community and pride which encompasses all sections of the community in all of the local areas
To see Ramsey as a safe and friendly place to work, shop, live, visit and overall enjoy
To see Ramsey as a traditional Market Town with traditional shopping
To encourage growth within the Town consistent with environmental and social demands
Wherever possible to encourage new opportunities for employment
To see Ramsey as a future investment opportunity.

Purpose of the Action Plan

The vision statement can now be detailed into a number of distinct objectives:

To improve the image of the Town Centre, promote it as a local shopping, commercial, leisure and cultural centre and to improve communication between the various organisations and the executive committee.
To encourage improvements in the physical environment and to promote the safety and accessibility of the Town Centre to all users
To encourage active citizenship together with civic pride and to aid Inward Investment to the town
To monitor the performance of the Town Centre and to review the activities of the Partnership.

Objective 1

To improve the image of the Town Centre, promote it as a local shopping, commercial, leisure and cultural centre and to improve communication between the various organisations and the executive committee.

1.1 Town Centre Identity

To create a visible identity for the Partnership in order that its role can be identified with the various projects within the Town Centre

To assist with publicity in the local media in order to highlight the role of the Partnership.

1.2 Town Centre promotion and coordination of events

To offer assistance to existing groups within the Town in order to expand the marketing of the Town Centre including the Carnival, Christmas Lights, Ramsey in Bloom and those events organised by the Rural Museum.

To seek further participation and support from local businesses

1.3 Ramsey enhancement, signage and street furniture

Identify and where possible implement environmental improvements at key locations and entry / exit points in the Town

To make considered recommendations for existing and new street furniture for the Town Centre and the Abbey Gateway.

1.4 Town Centre promotion shopping & community facilities

Provide display materials to promote the work and objectives of the Partnership. Where possible to involve Ramsey schools and their Technology status.

To work towards the provision of a community hall including an assessment of the demands.

To encourage a wider selection of shops.

To review the current parking provisions and overall access to the Town Centre

To consider the introduction of late night shopping.

Introduce a Newsletter together with boards at strategic points as part of a Town Information service. To review the effectiveness of these measures and adjust accordingly

1.5 Infrastructure reporting

Create a viable reporting system to identify problems within the Town Centre so that they can be ‘signalled up’ to the relevant authority with the minimum of delay. Maintain contacts with the both the Town and County Councils to ensure that any matters reported are dealt with.

Objective 2

To encourage improvements in the physical environment and to promote the safety and accessibility of the Town Centre to all users

2.1 Floral displays and temporary environmental improvements

To support floral displays throughout the Town, encouraging all retailers to participate.

To institute a Ramsey Town Centre floral display competition

To survey all signage within the Town Centre and its approaches. Identify those signs requiring replacement and rationalisation.

Survey the condition and provision of street furniture, litterbins, seating, landscaped areas, paving and street lighting. Liaise with the local authority to implement a plan for repair and replacement.

Survey sites marked for future development and where appropriate introduce environmental improvement to avoid creating ‘eyesores’

2.2 Disabled Access and shop mobility

Identify and implement disabled accesses in line with current legislation. This includes the provision of dropped kerbs to improve the mobility of wheelchair users within the Town Centre.

Investigate a shopmobility scheme in liaison with local retailers.

2.3 Shopper Hopper

To audit the current Dial-a-Ride scheme and local taxis / mini cabs to see if any improvements are required. Where appropriate to seek such grants that may be available from local / national providers

2.4 Town Centre CCTV, Alcohol By-laws and the TrafficOrder

To apply current legislation (by-laws) with regard to consuming alcohol in the streets for the whole of the Town Centre.

Investigate the existing CCTV system and liase with the relevant authorities regarding any improvements.

Work towards enforcing the current parking restrictions and actively investigate weight restrictions within the Town Centre

Objective 3

To encourage active citizenship together with civic pride and to aid Inward Investment to the town

3.1 Moving Forward

To encourage both individuals and local organisations to take part in and initiate local events and promotions in order to attract visitors to the Town

Actively seek and encourage the support of local traders, businesses and services

Publicise the availability of local cultural, educational and recreational facilities

3.2 First Impressions

To support the creation of a welcoming atmosphere within the Town Centre which can be applied to all sections of the community – residents, visitors, potential new businesses, existing employers and employees.

Monitor the situation regarding vacant properties, encourage owners to maintain the appearance of these sites and actively encourage new tenants where possible.

3.4 Information Technology

Promote the use of IT including training opportunities. Investigate the implementation and use of a dedicated Website

3.5 Local Business Rates

To lobby for an investigation into the current levels of local Business Rates and Rents and where possible to press for reductions

3.6 Ramsey as a Centre

To actively promote Ramsey as a place to live, work, locate your business, shop and spend your leisure time.

To actively promote Ramsey as a central hub drawing in a largely untapped source of customers from the surrounding areas

3.7 Market Research

To review on a regular basis the effectiveness of marketing and publicity undertaken by the Partnership.

To make such changes as necessary as a result of such feedback

To identify local competing towns and the specific areas. Where applicable make recommendations as to nullify this competition.