The People & Places Partnerships can use its know-how to help towns across the country to take a long-look at the impacts and provide COVID-19 recovery planning support. We’d be delighted to share a virtual coffee with you and see how we might add some fresh thinking through COVID-19 recovery planning support alongside the local knowledge of councils, place partnerships, Business Improvement Districts and business associations.
Using a robust national methodology
The support uses the robust, national methodology set-out in the updated version of the Revitalising town centres toolkit. This incorporates guidance on responding to the Coronavirus outbreak based on an adaptation of Institute of Place Management’s (IPM) national Post-COVID 19 Recovery Framework .
The Forward Framework approach advocated in the revitalising town centres toolkit and the IPM’s Post-COVID 19 Recovery Framework have much in common and combined by People & Places, provide a robust methodology. Essentially both frameworks place a strong emphasis on evidence-based planning and delivery whilst focusing on shaping the how (partnership development) and what (action planning & delivery) of recovery/revitalisation. Both frameworks recognise the key roles of local coordination and communication in delivering successful town and city centre outcomes.
Case study of recovery and revitalisation
A case study of reopening & revitalising Selby produced as part of the updated LGA toolkit, shows how the People & Places’ approach can be used in planning and delivering town centre recovery and revitalisation. This case study shows Selby District Council was able to respond to the challenges of combining the immediate needs of reopening Selby town centre as part of COVID-19 recovery planning, with delivering refreshed, long-term priorities for revitalisation. In doing so, Selby has adopted an approach of reopening the town centre in a safe and welcoming way which seeks to add to the long-term revitalisation planning through rapid learning, testing of new ideas, developing local capacity and partnership working.
Preparing an initial recovery framework
The updated revitalising town centres toolkit methodology supplemented by the IPM’s Recovery Framework, adds in extra stages covering rapid crisis management and planning for a transitional, recovery phase when some physical distancing and other precautionary measures could remain in place for a year or more.
The People & Places Partnership COVID-19 recovery planning support offers an initial, holistic town or city centre framework as a first step in mapping-out a place’s route to recovery. Background work involved in preparing this initial framework will include:
- Assessing existing national and local sources of evidence of COVID-19 impacts and necessary next steps for gathering more information.
- Undertaking an initial desk-top mapping exercise of sources and focus for existing town centre strategy.
- Engaging key stakeholder groups in the recovery planning processes whilst assessing local capacity and perceived priorities.
- Identifying local priorities for the three phases of post-COVID 19 recovery: pre-recovery; recovery; and transformation.
- Possible priorities for the next phases of post-COVID 19 recovery including: safe management of streets and public spaces; taking town on-line through digital audit and skills development
As an indication, the preparation of this initial town centre recovery framework is likely to require 5-8 days of input, over a 4-6 week period.
Creating the post-COVID 19 evidence-base
As the COVID-19 crisis stage has unfolded and thoughts turned to pre-recovery planning, evidence of impacts and analysis of future implications created a picture of changing business practices and public perceptions. As explained in this blog on first steps to recovery, it is important to understand the emerging national evidence-base and seek to supplement it locally. THE IPM recovery framework places an important emphasis on evidence-led re-evaluation and adaptation.
This is where the more detailed, phased COVID-19 recovery planning support by People & Places Partnerships begins. Existing performance indicators can be supplemented by additional research on COVID-19 impacts, such as performance of different business types and places plus stakeholder surveys of changing behaviour/practices. An initial evidence base of impacts can be created and analysed, including:
- initial stakeholder surveys to gauge impacts & changing behaviour/practices.
- businesses types analysis to guide support & understand variable impacts of lockdown
- progressive monitoring of footfall, foot-flow, traffic & parking occupancy
The methodologies /findings of national surveys and local indicators need to be combined to give localised understanding and benchmarking. An additional challenge is that customer attitudes, behaviour and necessary business practices are likely to be fluid throughout the transitionary period.
Taking the next steps
The People & Places Partnership is able to assist in taking next steps in COVID-19 recovery planning support by developing and delivering a detailed ‘Forward Framework’. This uses the town centre checklist set-out in the Revitalising town centres handbook and accompanying online toolkit. The Framework comprises an overarching strategy and two component plans:
Business planning: An organisational business plan covering the foundations, form, folk and organisational finances will determine how to develop an effective and sustainable partnership able to deliver local improvements.
Action planning: A town or city centre action plan will define objectives, projects, responsibilities, budgets, timescales, outcomes and impact measures as the building blocks of the coordinated delivery of improvements on the ground.
As the IPM Recovery Framework emphasises, local team building is key. Partnership development can follow tried-and-tested approaches with the addition of online engagement tools and inclusion of a sub-theme and/or working group focused on addressing the immediate challenges created by COVID-19 crisis. As the narrative around the IPM Recovery Framework also explains, council and place partnerships need to work together to prepare action plans prioritising opportunities for unparalleled urgency in learning & innovation. Such action plans, more than ever, need to address the unparalleled short-term needs of recovery with long-term prospects for transforming town and city centres.
Accompanying resources
The following accompanying resources provide further background relating to the People & Places Partnership’s COVID-19 recovery planning support:
- Revitalising town centres; a toolkit for council leadership is a comprehensive online resource produced by the People & Places Partnership for the Local Government Association. The toolkit gives a step-by-step overview of creating a Forward Framework for town centre revitalisation and includes case studies of recovery planning including reopening & revitalising Selby undertaken with People & Places.
- The Institute of Place Management’s framework for post-COVID 19 recovery planning, provides a four-phase approach for addressing the coronavirus outbreak and its impacts of town and city centres, namely: crisis; pre-recovery or transition during 2020; and ultimately recovery and long-term transformation.
- A free, downloadable checklist for managing town centre streets and public spaces in 2020 and other up-to-date, detailed guidance is available via our dedicated beyond COVID-19 web page.
