Friday
26
April
Call for more to get involved in supporting town centre
23/10/2019 @ 07:33
Businesses and residents need to get behind a plan to help boost Newtown's town centre and encourage more people to visit the town, according to a town councillor.
The call came from Cllr Richard Edwards, a former town mayor, who urged people to get involved in the 'Finding a New Route - Creating a Tourism Vision for Newtown' study.
A meeting will be held on 7 November at the Monty Club in Newtown when businesses, organisation and the public can contribute to the next stage of the development and delivery of the plan.
It comes as concerns have been raised over the number of empty retail units in the town centre.
"There is a danger that if we don’t do anything, less and less people will come to the town and our shops will continue to suffer meaning people losing their jobs," said Cllr Edwards.
"But it’s not all doom and gloom. Newtown has always been a place that has changed with the times. Now with the completion of the by-pass we have a golden opportunity to reinvent the town and the town centre, developing it as a destination that people want to visit and recommend.
"Latest tourism data shows an upward trend in the volume and value of visitors to Powys, now we need to make sure we attract them to Newtown increasing footfall and a larger visitor spend in the town."
He added: Last year I led on the project for Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council that commissioned research in response to a desire from businesses and organisations within the visitor economy to have a planned way forward to develop the tourism sector. It also drew on consultations with residents in Newtown about how they would like to see the Town develop.
"It represents the Council’s aim to provide a structure to enable planning the next steps for tourism development and promotion in Newtown and the surrounding area.
“Finding a New Route:- creating a tourism vision for Newtown” is an exciting opportunity for businesses and organisations to work with Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council to develop the future of the tourism and associated industries."
The meeting on 7 November will be split into a structured session between 3pm and 5pm and a drop-in session between 5pm and 6pm.
Some of ideas put forward by residents, business and organisations are:
Make Newtown stand out as the Market Town for the upper Severn valley
Attract more ‘independent explorers’ Those who wish to tailor experiences to their own needs, travel in small groups and immerse themselves in our natural and manmade landscapes.
Find strength in the independent retail offer that provides high quality and visitor experience
Make Newtown the best place to enjoy the outdoors for all the family developing Newtown as Family friendly – Clean – Open and accessible & fun spaces – Activities both indoor and out.
To maximize the substantial access to the river
Create a diverse arts programme
Enhance further its annual events calendar growing existing events and develop new home grown events
Making it easier for people walking and cycling into town by expanding the active travel network
Practical steps already taken to implement the vision include:
To grow the Food Festival in partnership with Newtown Food Festival CIC
Continue to develop in partnership with Open Newtown the facilities in the town parks in such as Town Hall Play Park, a BMX pump track and mountain bike trail on Trehafren Hill and canoe access points on the river.
Installing a digital information sign in the town centre, this will operate 24/7 365 providing information for tourists and residents alike.
Commission a archaeological dig on the Town Hall mound to rediscover our history.
Tidy up the area making it more assessable to all abilities, leading up to a historical re-enactment in 2021
Work with others to develop new events, such as the Walking Newtown Festival in 2019
Hold a new event in 2020. Maybe a “Community picnic in the park”
Cllr Edwards said: "However, there is so much more to be done, So I’m asking business and the public to get behind this plan, help where you can and make Newtown a place to visit and come back to again and again."
The call came from Cllr Richard Edwards, a former town mayor, who urged people to get involved in the 'Finding a New Route - Creating a Tourism Vision for Newtown' study.
A meeting will be held on 7 November at the Monty Club in Newtown when businesses, organisation and the public can contribute to the next stage of the development and delivery of the plan.It comes as concerns have been raised over the number of empty retail units in the town centre.
"There is a danger that if we don’t do anything, less and less people will come to the town and our shops will continue to suffer meaning people losing their jobs," said Cllr Edwards.
"But it’s not all doom and gloom. Newtown has always been a place that has changed with the times. Now with the completion of the by-pass we have a golden opportunity to reinvent the town and the town centre, developing it as a destination that people want to visit and recommend.
"Latest tourism data shows an upward trend in the volume and value of visitors to Powys, now we need to make sure we attract them to Newtown increasing footfall and a larger visitor spend in the town."
He added: Last year I led on the project for Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council that commissioned research in response to a desire from businesses and organisations within the visitor economy to have a planned way forward to develop the tourism sector. It also drew on consultations with residents in Newtown about how they would like to see the Town develop.
"It represents the Council’s aim to provide a structure to enable planning the next steps for tourism development and promotion in Newtown and the surrounding area.
“Finding a New Route:- creating a tourism vision for Newtown” is an exciting opportunity for businesses and organisations to work with Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council to develop the future of the tourism and associated industries."
The meeting on 7 November will be split into a structured session between 3pm and 5pm and a drop-in session between 5pm and 6pm.
Some of ideas put forward by residents, business and organisations are:
Make Newtown stand out as the Market Town for the upper Severn valley
Attract more ‘independent explorers’ Those who wish to tailor experiences to their own needs, travel in small groups and immerse themselves in our natural and manmade landscapes.
Find strength in the independent retail offer that provides high quality and visitor experience
Make Newtown the best place to enjoy the outdoors for all the family developing Newtown as Family friendly – Clean – Open and accessible & fun spaces – Activities both indoor and out.
To maximize the substantial access to the river
Create a diverse arts programme
Enhance further its annual events calendar growing existing events and develop new home grown events
Making it easier for people walking and cycling into town by expanding the active travel network
Practical steps already taken to implement the vision include:
To grow the Food Festival in partnership with Newtown Food Festival CIC
Continue to develop in partnership with Open Newtown the facilities in the town parks in such as Town Hall Play Park, a BMX pump track and mountain bike trail on Trehafren Hill and canoe access points on the river.
Installing a digital information sign in the town centre, this will operate 24/7 365 providing information for tourists and residents alike.
Commission a archaeological dig on the Town Hall mound to rediscover our history.
Tidy up the area making it more assessable to all abilities, leading up to a historical re-enactment in 2021
Work with others to develop new events, such as the Walking Newtown Festival in 2019
Hold a new event in 2020. Maybe a “Community picnic in the park”
Cllr Edwards said: "However, there is so much more to be done, So I’m asking business and the public to get behind this plan, help where you can and make Newtown a place to visit and come back to again and again."
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