Agenda item

To consider the Radstock Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan which identifies opportunities, concepts and project ideas to underpin funding and grant applications for project delivery.

Cllr Paul Roper introduced the report, moved the officer recommendation, and made the following points:

·  High streets and town centres across the country have faced huge upheaval in the last decade.  These are tough times even for the most powerful and influential retailers. And it isn’t just retail that is affected – many sectors that relied on high footfall to survive have been decimated.

·  The effects of these changes on rural towns and smaller cities have been devastating.

·  One can visit hundreds of rural town centres and see how much reduced their once-proud high streets are. The bank branches and other anchor institutions are gone. Pubs are closing in their thousands. Technology and centralisation have rendered many traditional service providers redundant in rural locations.

·  The business rates system is not fit for purpose and needs reform.

·  Our high streets and town centres are entering a new era. It is not entirely clear what that future will look like – but the focus has to be on “Place Making”. Making spaces and places where people want to be. Creating environments for new ventures to thrive. We must adapt and repurpose buildings for new uses.

·  This will take both time and investment but our ambition should not be dampened by this.

·  The first element needed is community engagement. This regeneration project is a great example of how we have listened and worked with the local community in a hugely collaborative way.

·  B&NES has a dedicated, expert resource working on this issue – the Regeneration Team.  This is a team of 12 that delivers impactful projects working with our communities in a positive way.  They are entirely grant-funded, save for one officer, and have secured £23m in grant funding over the last 4 years.  There are many more projects in the pipeline and their work is making a significant difference to our communities.

·  One of the schemes that they have developed is the Radstock Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan.  Radstock is a town with a unique heritage, attractive green spaces and local facilities which serve a wide rural area. There is significant potential for increasing the vibrancy of the town centre and attracting more visitors and investment.  The Plan aims to create a thriving town centre bringing vacant buildings back into use.

·  The aim is to deliver as many of the priority projects as possible and to have high ambitions. Successful delivery of these projects will rely on collective action to secure funding and take forward these initiatives. We have three schemes already being delivered: improvements to Tom Huyton Park, a new community arts space in the Old Printworks, a cultural programme that is delivering free creative and arts activities and a greenway arts trail.

·  The plan will form a basis for funding bids and help to prioritise town centre projects that would benefit the community and make Radstock a more varied and welcoming place.

·  The partnership has already secured £560,000 of investment in the town centre in its initial two years.

·  This is the start of a process to improve Radstock town centre and we are excited to see this next chapter unfold.

·  Cllr Roper thanked local stakeholders, businesses and residents who participated and put forward their ideas for ways to improve their town centre.  He gave huge thanks to project partners, Radstock Town Council.  This is a great example of listening to local people and working collaboratively.  Radstock Town Council has already approved the Plan.

Cllr Matt McCabe seconded the motion and made the following points:

·  The importance of having this Plan in place is that we can now respond to funding bodies and can be very clear about what we want.

·  Cllr McCabe thanked the Regeneration Team for all their work on this project alongside the Town Council and local stakeholders.

·  He had been struck by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by those people he had met who were involved in the various local projects.

·  The RadCo site is a significant site in the middle of Radstock, discussions are ongoing with the owners, and it is hoped that progress will be made later this year.

·  He thanked the Radstock Town Clerk, George Clutton, for her hard work and great enthusiasm for this project and the town in general.  He also thanked Cllr Chris Dando for his work and the warm welcome given to those visiting Radstock.

Cllr Mark Elliott endorsed the Action Plan stating that it demonstrated that the Council is committed to improving all areas of Bath and North East Somerset.  The Plan presents a great opportunity for Radstock and will be extremely useful when preparing bids to access funding for the area.

Cllr Sarah Warren stated that she was very impressed with this report and highlighted some of the other work that the Council is involved with in and around Radstock that contributes positively to efforts to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.  Cllr Warren mentioned the following projects:

·  The Somer Valley Rediscovered partnership which is driving investment into the natural environment benefiting the local community with a focus on the Cam and Wellow catchment aiming to improve water quality.

·  The work with Radstock Town Council on the Greenspaces project which is providing:

o  Nature Recovery on key greenspaces including Haydon Batch

o  Volunteering opportunities for residents

o  Free wildlife and heritage events and activities for residents 

o  Regular Green Social Prescribing

• Work to identify greenspaces with Radstock Town Centre for future work – sites include The Miners Pool, St Nicholas Churchyard and two B&NES owned sites just outside the town centre boundary (Foxhills and land adjacent to The Colliers Way).
• Actively seeking funding to take more greenspace projects forward.
• Working in partnership with The Active Way project to deliver walking and cycling social prescribing activities for residents.
• Development of a full business case in relation to the Midsomer Norton /Westfield walking and cycling links, that will provide improved links to the Midsomer Norton - Radstock greenway, Making it easier and safer to get around the neighbourhood by bike, foot, or wheelchair. 
• Working closely with the West of England Combined Authority on the heat from the mines project.

RESOLVED: (Unanimously):

To endorse the Radstock Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan (set out in Appendix 1 of the report) as a basis for decision making and funding bids in order to seek to deliver the priority projects identified.