Last updated 17:42, Saturday, 22 March 2008

Ian Curwen, Copeland Borough Council's communications manager sets out the authority's views on the regeneration of Whitehaven

OVER the last few weeks there has been much written on the future of Whitehaven town centre, and the direction in which the town is heading.

From Copeland Borough Council’s point of view, it is pleasing to see the passion that people have got and we welcome the coverage the Whitehaven News has given these issues.

It is now important that we all use this momentum and work together with everybody involved for the good of the town and the borough.

We need to make sure that people know all about our work and are able to have their say on these major developments.

To ensure this happens we will shortly be holding an exhibition showing details of this work.

This exhibition will coincide with a business summit that Copeland BC will be holding, where local business will be invited to contribute their views on economic development and improvement issues.

As part of this event, we will be describing how Copeland Borough Council – along with its partners such as West Lakes Renaissance have major plans for the Whitehaven area, with schemes totalling around £100m of investment being developed.

As with all programmes of such a size, they do take time to develop, but work is moving ahead. These schemes cover regeneration in the widest possible sense, and we believe will transform the future of our town.

Plans include a new double the current size Tesco outlet and bus/rail transport interchange that will be developed alongside the store as an exciting new gateway to the town. There will be new ‘public realm’ investment to improve the look of the town at Mount Pleasant (already started) and the Civic Hall together with new street furniture and better signage.

The development of a high quality hotel and major new investments in residential property throughout the harbour and town centre areas will help to bring about positive improvements for residents and visitors alike.

We’re also working to improve the retail and amenity attraction in the town with the Pow Beck sporting village, Pow Beck Gardens proposals and service and business sites being actively marketed.

The search is already on for a developer for the Pow Beck Gardens site, which will lead to work starting on site soon.

The Ginns site and Albion Square are also major development sites, and plans for them are progressing as a matter of urgency. Work is also taking place to improve Whitehaven’s coastal fringe with a £1.6 million scheme currently in hand.

The Whitehaven Regeneration Task Group, which is set up to oversee the town centre developments as part of the overall Whitehaven Regeneration scheme, is keen to take on more members, and as such is looking to recruit more members from Whitehaven’s business community.

We look forward to working with champions from the town’s businesses on these crucial regeneration plans.

Other work ongoing in Whitehaven includes a comprehensive parking and traffic flow study, which through consultation with business, has come up with some positive and radical ideas for managing traffic in Whitehaven for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors.

Alongside these big developments, we need to ensure that we are all doing the small but important things that make people come back to Whitehaven time and time again.

This includes ensuring the town is as tidy, free of litter and chewing gum as we can make it, helping the town to be marketed in the most appropriate way, recognising our Georgian town’s unique potential as a tourist and shopping attraction.

In the past we have secured investment for improvements to some of Whitehaven’s outstanding town centre buildings, and we are working hard to attract funding to carry on this work.

In the next couple of weeks we will be meeting with the Chamber of Trade to see how we can work together for the benefit of the town, and we’ll be addressing some of their specific concerns, such as naming a dedicated officer whose priority will be Whitehaven town centre.

That officer will also be considering how Whitehaven is marketed, and how it is funded, alongside our partners at the Western Lake District Tourism Partnership and Invest in Cumbria.

We are committed to regeneration right across Copeland, which is why we have secured Local Authority Business Growth Initiative investment to help continue the Market Town Initiative work in Millom and Egremont, as well as supporting regeneration work in Cleator Moor.

Many other parts of the country have been unable to sustain their regeneration initiatives into the future.

We have worked to do this, as we recognise the importance of such initiatives to the continued regeneration of our towns and the borough as a whole.

Whitehaven Regeneration is the collective effort of Copeland Borough Council, West Lakes Renaissance, Cumbria County Council, Copeland Homes, English Partnerships and the Land Restoration Trust.