Philip Parkin » town centre management

Cabinet agrees Sutton Town Centre Framework

Philip Parkin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:25:50 +0000

The council cabinet has agreed the development framework for Sutton Coldfield Town Centre, setting out the vision for its long-term regeneration. This is a signficant step forward for the town centre, and not just for local residents. As the largest suburban town centre in the city, it has a vital role to play in the regeneration of Birmingham and the wider region.

The document is also an excellent example of the importance of wide, public consultation, a point I made in the press last week:

I am extremely proud of the Sutton Town Centre Regeneration Framework which was approved by the Council Cabinet last week. To finally have in place a Supplementary Planning Document, which will guide future development in the town centre, represents a significant milestone for Sutton Coldfield. Right from the start we were determined to make sure that the views of residents would guide the framework, and Andrew Mitchell MP, as well as your councillors, ensured that the the six week statutory consultation period was doubled to three months so that everyone would have the opportunity to have their say. The exhibitions held at the Mall, and the library, were extremely well attended by members of the public and numerous meetings were held at neighbourhood fora and ward committees. And, of course, we were very lucky to have the whole process overseen by Elizabeth Allison, Chair of the Sutton Civic Society. This was particularly appropriate given our strong determination to preserve the historic legacy of the town. And the views of residents have clearly been taken into account in the finished document. A number of the original ideas remain, of course, because they were supported by the vast majority of the people who commented. However, the consultation has led to either changes or the strengthening of many of the draft proposals.

Art in Empty Spaces

Philip Parkin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:26:37 +0000

The Arts Council has launched a £500,000 initiative to help turn empty shops into creative spaces. With the Local Government Association warning that high streets run the risk of becoming ‘ghost towns’ unless urgent action is taken to find other uses for recession-hit retail units, displaying local art should go some way towards maintaining or improving the vibrancy of town centres.

This kind of initiative is obviously not going to benefit the local economy in the same way that a new (rate paying) business would, and at best it’s a temporary measure, but it should at the very least help shops from falling into disrepair. And of course ‘animating the high street’ and getting art and creative enterprises out of their usual spaces is always a good thing, with a successful town centre clearly being about more than just shopping.

Applications from individuals and organisations in Birmingham should be looked on favourably, with the city fulfilling criteria such as already being in receipt of DCLG funding and having a (fledgling) network of town centre managers in place. And the kind of activity that will be funded is fairly broad, too, with the Arts Council looking to fund anything from art to recording studios to family arts workshops.

If anyone is interested in applying for a project in Sutton Coldfield town centre, please let me know.

Sutton Coldfield Town Centre Manager

Philip Parkin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:19:44 +0000

Great news that funding is now on the way for a town centre manager in Sutton Coldfield.

Sutton Observer

Sutton News

Recruitment will begin once the contract’s been finalised. And given the size/status of the centre the position will probably be advertised nationally as well as locally.

Town Centre Management

Philip Parkin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:53:06 +0000

Focus on the West Midlands

By working with partners to make town centres more attractive to visitors, councils can help to combat the worst effects of the recession, writes Cllr Philip Parkin (Con) of Birmingham city council

With the worst set of retail results for more than a decade, a string of high profile stores collapsing into administration and empty shop units becoming a depressingly familiar sight on the high street, this is a bleak time for our town centres. Cash strapped shoppers and heavy discounting mean that many stores are suffering the double whammy of falling sales and reduced margins. Increasingly, however, the public and private sectors have been coming together to take a coordinated, proactive approach to making their town centres more attractive to visitors. Simon Quin, the chief executive of the Association of Town Centre Management, believes that such initiatives are more vital than ever as the high street struggles with the effects of a severe recession.

Partnership work

“The credit crunch and ensuing economic crisis mean many town centres are facing a difficult future,” he says. “There will be winners and losers out of this, however, and our experience shows that the winners will be those who bring relevant stakeholders from across the centre together to work on a shared programme of initiatives. “Now is definitely the time to put the town centre first and ensure councillors work in partnership if you want the centre to survive and prosper in the future.” Although some town centres have voted to become business improvement districts (BIDs), partnerships do not have to be as structured, or as costly, as BIDs, and most of the 500 in place across the UK do not follow this format. Typically a partnership will have key representatives from business and the local council, as well as services such as the police, getting together to agree priorities and take action. Initiatives include making their areas safer and cleaner, running professional marketing campaigns and events, and encouraging inward investment.

Birmingham city council, like many across the country, is currently supportive of the whole concept of town centre management. The city’s local centres’ strategy, drawn up last year acknowledges the success of town centre management in its city centre, and encourages the extension of this approach across Birmingham. Eight local centres in the city already have some kind of town centre initiative in place. And the evidence suggests that they are making a difference with the more established partnerships bringing real benefits to local people and businesses, as well as helping to safeguard jobs and bring in investment. The result, in each case, is a safer, more attractive retail environment.

Across the city, town centre partnerships are:

running events, for example for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day;
helping to make their areas safer – one retail manager for example, is introducing a retail crime initiative in partnership with local businesses and the police;
helping to improve their local environment by communicating with ‘one voice’ to the council and identifying priorities. Many partnerships in the city are working to develop the green spaces in their centres as well as working with the council to improve street cleaning and recycling facilities;
marketing, promoting and raising the profile of their areas – for example by setting up their own websites and producing customised guides for visitors and web links and newsletters for businesses.

While public sector support is a key part of any town centre management initiative, only the strong involvement of local businesses will ensure that a partnership works. And if town centres benefit from a coordinated and proactive approach, and become more attractive places for visitors to shop and spend money, then businesses across the country will benefit too.