Sustainable Communities ::
To establish multi-use community owned and run facilities that act as a catalyst for the development of sustainable rural communities
- The RCP, through its manager working as the Rural Renaissance Advisor to Cornwall Council's Economic Development Service, is developing rural strategy and policy that will encourage stronger and more resilient communities and local economies to develop. Local economic resilience includes private and community owned renewable energy generation and a range of rural workspace and business development projects. This will see an advance from multi-use facilities to multi-faceted local economic development linked to housing provision and services where appropriate.
- Since 2005 the RCP have funded the capital for the establishment of 6 multi-purpose community facilities in Cornwall. Through SW RDA Rural Renaissance, MRD and Capacity Building, supported by the LSC Neighbourhood Learning in deprived Communities (NLDC) funding, the RCP has been assisting with the development of community capacity to manage these facilities, learning from best practice. Through a number of capital investments, the RCP has also enhanced the physical fabric of towns and villages in more than 20 projects, ranging from £40,000 to £4,000,000 in value.
- The RCP has funded over a thousand projects during its 20 year existence, all of these have been achieved with active engagement of the community and the majority have demonstrated economic growth.
- Through a number of capital investments, the RCP has enhanced the physical fabric of towns and villages in more than 20 projects, each ranging from £40,000 to £4,000,000 in value.
- 900,000 families (2,500,000 people) in rural areas live below the poverty line. (Commission for Rural Communities 2008)
- Deprivation in rural areas is dispersed and often masked by affluence. - The RCP has always recognised this and has focussed resources in rural priority areas to tackle rural deprivation and enable communities to develop and economic resilience to change beyond their control.
The strategy development fits with the timescale of other strategic development projects aiming to be complete by October 2010.
Future funding for sub regional delivery will be affected by the CSR in October! Need to identify alternative funding as SW RDA no longer has a dedicated ‘Rural' or ‘Community' initiative that covers the whole of Cornwall
The development of rural strategy and policy that will be adopted by Cornwall Council and will lead to communities taking a motre active part in their economic well-being.
Number of multi-purpose facilities within coverage of network
New Rural Strategy, Policy and Action Plan developed by October 2010
Development of draft Communications Strategy for the Town Partnership
The 'draft' has been achieved within a consultative framework of the Partnership and external support such as the Retail Skills task and finish group and the St .Austell Partnership (both of whom have representation on the TCP). This is an ongoing, working document which is intended as a real tool for the basis of future milestones (for example development of the marketing strategy and Convergence delivery.
Website presence being developed but resources only permit within the context of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum website.
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October. Local government re-organisation and the difficulty in securing adequate resources were the reasons. Work could well be taken forward by a broader and re-invigorated Rural Cornwall Partnership and/or a high level Regeneration Board.
By end September 2007 but development ongoing
Full implementation resources
Provide opportunities for rural businesses including provision of workspace, training and business advice. These businesses may be private, or social and community enterprises where there is market failure, with the primary focus on local opportunities.
Through the development of a rural strategy, and by rural proofing the LDF and Place Based Issues papers and othern strategies, the RCP is in a position to influence where investments may be made.
between 2003 and 2009. the RCP funded:
- 4000m2 rural workspace development
- 200 jobs created or safeguarded
- 267 people provided with employment support
- Skills development, over 500 people assisted
- 540 businesses to improve their performance
- 480 agricultural SMEs connected to broadband
All funds spending completed in March 2009
There are no dedicated funds for the RCP to continue to invest. However the RCP will continue to promote strategic aims to ensure that mainstream/EU funds are invested in rural areas.
See delivery progress
An impact evaluation of the RCP investments in the rural economy and communities was completed in 2009.
Baselining of floorspace supply & demand within key town centres and assessing the contribution made to quality and overall employment.
This has been partially achieved but resources are required to more thoroughly go through existing retail surveys and concentrate linkage with the sites and premises outcome in order to look at the full range of quality and employment issues in towns. This is ongoing work to inform the development of build and marketing strategy and links strongly to improving the 'vacant floorspace' indicator. Due to availability and collectivity of information this indicator is tied to THI and HERS measurements only at the moment.
It has not been possible to assess this further due to staff sickness.
A need has been identified to address commercial and residential floorspace.
As of January 2009 this indicator is being reviewed with a view to its possible exapansion to examine all commercial floorspace as we move to baselining the new Cornwall LDF.
As of May 2009 some of the THI/HERS schemes have come to an end, while others are ongoing and still others due to start. A complete understanding of retail and commercial floorspace in town centres is a key objective within the new Cornwall Local Development Framework process. This has been supported by a facilities survey that all parish and town councils have had an opportunity to comment on and add to.
This specific indicator needs to be re-focused in the new LAA. A consultative 'issues and options' paper on retail is currently being developed for the LDF (May 2009)
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October.
Key areas enhanced
New m2 in town centre - office / retail
Town Centre yield (annually)
Eventual addition of commercial floorspace growth
Establishment of a technical sub group of the Town Partnership to draw upon the Truro experience of BID development; the purpose being to help inform the process in Falmouth and provide support and encouragement for other towns such as Liskeard and Penzance to consider the BID model for their town centres.
This group has effectiely become the same as the 'Town Managers' group (Newquay, St.Austell and Falmouth; with the addition of the Truro BID manager and the Camborne Pool Redruth Business Manager) dealing with networking and project promotion
This is being achieved through the formation of a town 'manager' working group.
The group meets quarterly to share good practise and pursue joint project development. This will feed into progress on the local government review and development of community networks.
Previously, the group has ceased to meet due to local work pressures on 'managers' and the lack of capacity to spend on strategic networking.
As of May 2009 the group is now meeting regularly under the chairmanship of the Newquay Town Manager.
Ongoing
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October.
Falmouth has successfully achieved 'BID' status
Centre Audit (annually).
This was undertaken in 2006 to give some baselines on regeneration capacity and activity in towns, but there are no current plans to repeat this exercise.
Town Partnership workshop on best practice in the use of civic spaces with input from the Carrick DC Open Spaces Manager, CABE and Creating Excellence.
Linked to above and currently being planned. Launceston MCTi a major partner: their project has majored on town centre workspace.
No further progress has been made in the last quarter of 2008 due to funding and capacity issues. However, the issue is being re-visited as part of the Refresh review.
Ongoing
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October.
The idea/potential for a photographic survey is likely to be scrapped because of ongoing capacity issues.
6 private-public sector funded area based projects: Hayle THI/HERS, Penzance THI, Camborne THI, Launceston THI, Penryn THI, Redruth HERS
Growth in commercial and residential floorspace achieved through THI and HERS is being achived across the six projects over several years. The monitoring of this work is resource intensive.
Reporting is likely to continue until at least 2011.
Project reporting is not always timely to the LAA process.
Regeneration of 4,500 sq m of vacant floorspace through these 6 area based projects and the redevelopment of key sites (e.g Vospers in Penzance) monitored through the TP project database.
This is being achieved linked to the wider THI/HERS monitoring.
Sites are being identified via the Convergence process and checked for planning issues, and a multi-agency meeting will take place in February 2009 to examine how investment in P4 areas can impact on non P4.
This work is now being taken forward as part of an employment space review for the LDF process.
Milestone to be achieved by end of March 2009.
Approximately one quarter of target regenerated by January 2008.
Under-performance in the target due to the difficult predictability of start and finish dates.
Work continuing and likely to be expanded in Refresh.
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October 2009.
Proposals for improving town centre management submitted by town centre managers for Falmouth, St.Austell and Newquay to their local councils; TP role to support and disseminate ideas.
This is being achieved through the formation of a ‘Town Manager' working group. The Group has been formed and meetings are taking place regularly. There has been some useful networking and dissemination at Town Partnership level (especially amongst supporting local government and RDA officers) and with the membership/developing partnership of the Cornwall Towns Association where strong links have been forged with community linked economic activity and aims in individual towns.
On going
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October 2009.
Development work for bespoke marketing of all towns as part of the broader Cornwall brand.
A meeting with Lucy Hunt (Cornwall Pure Business) and Teresa Timms (VisitCornwall) of Cornwall Enterprise discovered common ground to start developing a pre Convergence Commissioning paper (subject to further advice) to start grouping a number of emerging projects under the Towns Partnership banner (the word 'centre' has been dropped by agreement of the Partnership as it gives an inaccurate impression of the role and functionality of Cornish towns). Further work has been limited so far due to lack of human resources, the pressure of wider work and work on the Sustainable Community Strategy.
ongoing
Lack of capacity and resource are preventing this from being progressed.
To enable people in rural areas to have access through local provision or improved transport, to basic services including doctor, training, transport, shop etc
The RDPE Local Action Programme is running through the Cornwall Development Company. The RCP will be developing a rural strategy for Cornwall and will produce an action plan for projects that are outside the LAG areas. We will also be working with the CRCC on facilitation of the RDPE Community and Social Enterprise programme.
Since 2005, to deliver this objective, the RCP has funded 13 projects:
- Two new community owned shops and Post Offices (currently NOT threatened with closure).
- Confidential space for Doctor visits and alternative therapies provided
- Two Community Cafés developed
- Two new nurseries and 50 childcare place provided
- 6 new rural transport services and 1300 additional passengers per year
- Two rural transport partnerships supported
Access to RDPE Measure 341, to develop local strategic plans outside the LAG area, is expected before December 2010.
No. of new community services established
No. of new community based accessibility schemes started
Investment of national, regional and local funding in deprived communties around Cornwall. Improved community facilities, opportunities and local economy.
Toolkit developed by the World Heritage Site partnership to be made available to assist towns to raise awareness and promotional work in Redruth, Hayle, Camborne, Pool & Liskeard.
From April 2009, the only funding that the RCP has for this outcome is the LSC NLDC programme.
The RCP has been focusing investment in rural areas/communities deprived of mainstream (centralised) funding. The RCP also invests funds for the LSC through the Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) programme.
The Skills Funding Agency (LSC) NLDC programme 2010-2011 has been approved .
Long term centralisation policy for economic development, services and housing provision.
Evolution of Cornwall Council strategy and partnership development are key issues.
These are currently under review/formation
Town Partnership workshop on best practice in the use of civic spaces with input from the Carrick DC Open Spaces Manager, CABE and Creating Excellence.
Linked to above and currently being planned. Launceston MCTi a major partner: their project has majored on town centre workspace.
Although an event would be beneficial, a lack of resource means this has not been progressed to date.
It is hoped that work can take place with the SWRDA on Public Realm access. Discussions need to take place to progress through the LAA and Convergence.
Event currently superseeded by the organising of a multi-agency event (with the Cornwall Towns Association) on January 28th 2009 to examine joint working opportunities.
As of May 2009 there appear to be funding opportunities around the co-ordination of town masterplans and LAG related issues which the LAA needs to be in a position to co-ordinate.
The joint session with the Cornwall Towns Association went well, particularly around the theme of consultation and linkage with the LDF. A way forward on this is still being digested.
Town Partnership and the LAA Outcome were concluded by mutual agreement of the partnership and the Cornwall Strategic Partnership in October.