New guidance prepared on Worksop for Bassetlaw Council, may be helpful to other councils looking to turn-around their town centres. Worksop’s Forward Framework looks at both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of town centre revitalisation led by local councils and other partners.
The People & Places Partnership was appointed in November 2017 to provide a high-level strategic review of Worksop town centre to Bassetlaw District Council on behalf on behalf of the Local Government Association’s (LGA). Specifically, the District Council required expert support to assist in guiding the work of a newly established Worksop Town Centre Task Force. The aim of the Task Force is to turn around the prospects of Worksop town centre by giving local retailers greater confidence in its future and getting more people to spend more money with town centre retailers.
The resulting Worksop Forward Framework prepared by People & Places provided a summary guide about the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ of turning around a town centre. As Chris Wade, Director of the People & Places Partnership explains, “This forward Framework captures a key sentiment for guiding local councils in working as part of town centre partnerships. In the initial stages at least, it is often a case of, it’s not what you do but the way that you do it!”
The contents of Worksop’s Forward Framework emphasises the importance of ‘soft skills’ like partnership building, community engagement and communication alongside practical expertise like place-shaping, retail strategy and events organisation.
Link to LGA research & guidance
This short commission is linked to ongoing research by People & Places to help guide the LGA’s wider support for its members on town centre regeneration work. People & Places are assisting with this work by providing expert input to develop a toolkit and guidance on the role of local councils in reviving town centres.
More information
Download a copy of Reviving Worksop Town Centre; a Forward Framework
