15/02/2019 - Permalink

New growth plans for Shropshire’s market towns near completion

Related topics: Partner organisations

Ludlow

A series of plans that will help Shropshire’s largest market towns to encourage growth and attract new businesses and investment are set to be completed by the end of March, Shropshire Council’s place overview committee heard at its meeting today, 15 February 2019.

The local economic growth strategies for Ludlow, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, and Market Drayton are being prepared by Shropshire Council, in conjunction with the appropriate town council, parish councils, local business and other stakeholders.

Each strategy will create a shared ‘economic vision’ for that town, with a focus on key sectors, and will help inward investors and businesses to understand what that town has to offer.

They will sit beneath Shropshire Council’s countywide Economic Growth Strategy and will help to create a shared economic vision for the whole county.

The Whitchurch and Oswestry economic growth strategies are set to be finalised by the end of February, with the Market Drayton, Ludlow and Bridgnorth plans set to be completed by the end of March. Discussions are also being held with Shifnal Town Council on a strategy for Shifnal.

In drafting the strategies Shropshire Council has run a series of workshops with town and parish councils, business groups, individual businesses and other stakeholders, and the feedback from these will help identify projects and inform an action plan and vision for each town.

The feedback gathered from the workshops so far has been extremely beneficial. The workshop held in Ludlow was particularly successful and well attended, with Philip Dunne MP taking part in the session.

Gemma Davies, head of economic growth with Shropshire Council, said:

“We’ve worked closely with local partners and stakeholders in the creation of these strategies to ensure that each plan demonstrates a shared vison.

“The intention has been to not duplicate what we have already. These strategies will be focused on the delivery of economic growth and will be informed by, and fully aligned with, other strategies and documents already in existence, including place plans, neighbourhood plans and the local plan review work.”

Joyce Barrow, chair of the place overview committee, said:

“It was really helpful for the committee to find out more about this important work, which aims to help boost the economies of our market towns, and their surrounding areas, and also strengthen the economy of the whole county. I’m encouraged that Shropshire Council is working closely, and working well, with each of the town councils, and local stakeholders, and encouraging them to make their thoughts known and to take ownership of their strategies.”

Smaller towns wanting to develop their own economic plan will be provided with a structured template document to help them to do so. The document asks them to consider the opportunities, constraints and challenges to delivering growth in their area. This work is community-led, co-ordinated by the parish or town council, supported by Shropshire Council, working with local business community and other key stakeholder groups.

Further information

1. Shrewsbury is already covered by the Big Town Plan.

2. While centred on larger market towns, the local strategies take in the wider hinterland and surrounding geography of each town.

3. The framework for each plan follows the same format as the countywide strategy with a number of key priority headings which includes;

  • Targeting actions and resources where there are economic opportunity.
  • Enabling businesses to start, grow and succeed.
  • Delivering infrastructure to support growth: transport, digital, housing, local infrastructure, utilities.
  • Meeting skills needs and aspirations for work.
  • Inward investment.

4. The template being provided to smaller towns to help them shape their own strategies follows the same format as the workshop sessions and covers the following areas;

  • The economic profile of the town.
  • The opportunities to deliver economic growth.
  • How to meet the needs to support growth: skills; utilities; digital; housing; local Infrastructure.
  • The key challenges to overcome.
  • Proposed content and design including a pen portrait.