Town Team September Update

Thank you to everyone who attended the two Town Team public meetings in the Lunesdale Hall on July 15th. They were arranged so that the Town Team could update the community on the projects to emerge from the community consultations which have taken place over the past nine months.

The Town Team was set up to make projects happen which local people believe will make a difference to life in the town now, and in the future. We act as a catalyst and facilitator to get projects started, or to continue, and we aim to use our status as a Town Team to secure external funding where funding is needed.

The sessions in July prompted some lively and useful discussion about the future of the town and we were grateful for all the questions asked and the points raised, as well as the encouragement that many people support the work and ambitions of the Town Team and what we’re trying to do.

Some comments were made about the vision and vision statement and whether they were too ‘generic’ to be really helpful. We have taken these comments on board and are working to create some strategic objectives to sit alongside them.

As a result of the engagement process and the public meetings the following 10 projects are to be given priority. They will be delivered by a range of organisations, and the Town Team will assist as necessary and monitor progress.

1. Help secure the rebuilding of the Old Market Hall and adjacent buildings
2. Involve young people in decision making through representation and engagement
3. Continue the Illuminate Festival and organise events across the town through appointing an events organiser
4. Encourage intergenerational activities using local assets (art and dance)
5. Market Square (improve the monument and make the square a people friendly space to support the market, events and social interaction
6. A range of town centre improvements including: improving accessibility to shops etc; green the town centre; enhance the Queens Square fountain; encourage clean and tidy town centre properties; widen pavements where possible; improve bus stops/provide shelters
7. Develop a clear and consistent town brand and marketing approach
8. Remodel and improve the Play Park
9. Improve and increase public toilets, including a Changing Places facility
10. Clean and repair road signs

Clearly, there are some projects on this list which will take time to come to fruition but there are also some where we can make progress quickly.

There are also a number of other projects around the town that are taking place or are planned, and the Town Team will monitor these. They include, for example: a town centre parking survey and review of crossing issues on the A65 at Low Biggins by Westmorland and Furness Council; a 10mph speed limit in the town; and the repair and re-ordering of St Mary’s Parish Church.

One of the priority projects is ‘clean and repair road signs’ The Chamber of Trade, a member of the Town Team, has picked this up and on Thursday 13 August, and with the help of Marie Batty from the Community Interest Company, organised 15 volunteers to clean, and in some cases reveal, road and street signs. This work was badly needed, and our grateful thanks go to the Chamber of Trade members and other volunteers who have got involved with this. We will all benefit from this initiative which has come directly from the consultation we carried out. You can read more about this in the article by the Chamber of Trade in the September issue of AKL.