Whole Town Strategy
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Case Studies |
Examples from Partners
(note : see also examples in ‘Long Term Planning’ component).
Inverurie
Starting with a spacial study in 1997 Inverurie worked with the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership to develop five linked strategies – on the economy; community activity; arts and culture; housing; and town planning. Through the SusSET project, the town has reflected on its previous plans and strategies and has agreed the need to integrate them into a new ‘whole town strategy’.
A new partnership of local public, private and voluntary agencies has been formed to develop the whole town strategy - sharing information, resources and experience to work together on agreed objectives. This new group, called the ‘Inverurie Partnership’, consists of:
- Aberdeenshire Council (Councillors and staff) - the municipality.
- Inverurie Community Council - representing the residents of the town.
- Inverurie Business Association – representing businesses.
- Gordon Rural Action - representing the voluntary sector.
- Garioch Area Partnership – representing networks of local people.
- Representatives of young people in the town.
(see component ‘Partnership and Local Governance’)
It has started by collating information on the plans and strategies which have been prepared in the past, to appreciate how much has already been achieved and identify what more needs to be done (see document attached below). It is then conducting a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to reflect on the town’s present position and understand the other partners’ perspectives, which will be built into an agreed whole town strategy “Inverurie 2020”. The town’s residents and businesses will be involved in the strategy through consultation and engagement and, it is hoped, regular (annual) feedback on achievements and activities.
Inverurie Whole Town Strategy Inverurie has been prudent in having taken a strategic approach to its development since the time of Gordon District Council. From at least 1992 to the present day, it has had continual study, planning and developmental activity targeted at maintaining a quality town.
The last significant piece of strategy work was conducted in 1998. Between 1998 and 2006, Inverurie was a principal member of the highly successful Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership (ATP) and this resulted in concerted effort, as well as a broadening of horizons across the region and beyond.
In 2004, as part of the anticipated exit from ATP, Inverurie joined in with international town partners to create the ‘Sustaining Small Expanding Towns’ (SusSET) project.
According to the SusSET model, Inverurie’s strategy should have objectives that provide economic, social and environmental balance. A list of proposed objectives are found at www.atap.org.uk
Åmål
Kungälv –
Strömstad –
Hel –
Lębork
Strategy of socio-economic development of Lębork 2004 – 2012.
108 pages, can be downloaded in Polish from:
www.bip.um.lebork.pl/strony/2947.dhtml
Main Goals of the strategy:
- Undertake activities towards creating suitable and flexible conditions for development of entrepreneurship and creation of new jobs
- Undertake activities towards complex protection of natural environment
- Create conditions for raising the level of education and vocational qualifications of the residents in order for them to meet the demands of local and European employment market
- Undertake actions towards improvement of external accessibility to the town
- Create conditions for efficient functioning of social assistance and counteract pathologies
- Undertake actions towards increasing technical and qualitative level of infrastructure
- Undertake actions towards increase of the level of security
- Undertake actions towards development of tourism in the town
- Facilitate strengthening of rich cultural and historic tradition
- Use the assets of geographic location and clean natural environment for the town development
- Constantly improve the quality of road infrastructure
- Undertake actions towards development of leisure-sports facilities (infrastructure)
- Make better use of local social activity potential
- Undertake activities towards efficient acquisition of structural funds and development of enterprises based on Public-Private partnership.
Main areas that the strategy goals are grouped into:
- Ecology (also environmental protection)
- Economy
- Infrastructure (roads, accessibility, leisure-sports facilities)
- Space (for housing, business, new accessibility routes, built heritage, visual integrity)
- Society
Puck –
The SusSET partners acknowledge the role played by Pyrgos from west Greece in their commitment and input to this WTS theme. Cited below is their example of their own translation of the WTS and its application to their town.
Click here for Pyrgos Whole Town Strategy
The same process was successfully applied to their regional neighbour Aegion.
Examples from Elsewhere
Town-net - (North Sea INTERREG IIIB)
Aims to strengthen town networks in partner areas through internal cooperation and complementarity, focusing on transport, spatial quality (urban-rural links), economic development strategies and promotion of regional identity.
Lead Partner: Netherlands: www.town-net.nl
Principal Contacts
The three Scottish towns have been members of the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership that includes 7 small towns, all of whom possess their own WTS – see www.atap.org.uk
See also this toolkit’s ‘Contacts’ section.
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