Nuneaton businesses come together for Transforming Nuneaton update
"The important message is that the town centre is absolutely open for business as the development moves forward and we will do all that we can to support the businesses.”
An event organised by Warwickshire County Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council brought together many of the town centre businesses at the Saints building.
Representatives from across Warwickshire County Council were joined by colleagues from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council – including the Town Centre Service Team and Economic Development Team - providing a range of expertise. Jet Jones, Director of Regeneration and Community Transformation, Together for Change hosted the evening which was hosted by the County Council.
Officers provided an update on the progress of the Transforming Nuneaton project, followed by questions and answers and a discussion about what support would be helpful to businesses throughout the town centre transformation process.
Businesses identified a range of challenges with public perceptions of the town centre, footfall and parking among them. Solutions and opportunities included promotion of cultural and family offers, measures to improve public confidence, communication with businesses, and collaboration between authorities to maximise parking and public transport availability. Both Councils will now be working with representatives from the new Nuneaton Business Improvement District (BID) to identify practical support measures and put them in place.
Lee Osborne, Development Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses in Warwickshire, said: ““It was a helpful event and a good chance for the businesses to be heard and for representatives there to appreciate how much the transformation process is affecting local businesses. It was positive to see communication and engagement taking place and we now need to see some action and something to come out from this to help local businesses”
Cllr Martin Watson, portfolio holder for economy at Warwickshire County Council said: “We know that the development of the town centre, while it will bring incredibly exciting results, will throw up some challenges in the interim period.
“We don’t have all the answers yet but this event was a great start. It really opened up the communication so that we know what the businesses are thinking about. The important message is that the town centre is absolutely open for business as the development moves forward and we will do all that we can to support the businesses.”
Issues around access to the town centre are moving forwards as Warwickshire County Council’s Transport Planning team continues its work with consultants AtkinsRealis to produce a Nuneaton Town Centre Movements and Access Study. This focusses on transport improvements within the town centre looking at managing parking and public transport access.
The study will be out for public consultation once officers have consulted with local members.
The consultation will reach out directly to town centre business owners, local community groups and charities, accessibility and disability groups, school and youth groups etc through a series of online or in person engagement workshops.
* Further information on Transforming Nuneaton can be found here