EUKN - United Kingdom - 5 Towns Network

5 Towns Network

Introduction

The 5 Town Network was established as a mechanism for sharing experience, knowledge, skills and best practice across the West Sussex coastal strip.

Description

This project, funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) established a Network of regeneration practitioners across the towns of Selsey, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Worthing and Shoreham by Sea. The Network, overseen by a Management Group, ensures a co-ordinated approach to the long term regeneration and vitality of the 5 Towns.

Currently only funded until end of March 2008. In negotiations with SEEDA for continued funding past this date.

Participants

The management group consists of Arun District Council, Adur District Council, Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council, Worthing Borough Council, West Sussex Economic Partnership. SEEDA also sit on the management group but are also the main funder and a key player in the direction of the Network.

Network lead

The Network Manager runs the network on a day-to-day basis overseeing and co-ordinating the capital funding each of the 5 Towns receive for enabling projects to pump prime redevelopment in each of the towns. The Network Manager also co-ordinates the training and development programme and is currently assisted by a Support Officer employed on a temporary basis to roll out the intensive Sustainable Communities Development Programmes as part of the Learning Laboratory project.

Objectives

The objectives of the network are to:

Provide a more co-ordinated approach to urban regeneration and town centre management across the coastal strip;
Share information, best practice and lessons learned;
Increase the skills base of regeneration, economic development and planning practitioners in the 5 Towns;
Create a sequenced approach to accessing external funding

Products

For the financial year of 2007/08, the capital funding has ensured that the following projects have been rolled out:

The development of a Coastal Investment Guide promoting Coastal West Sussex as an area for investment through WSCC;
Creating a welcome to the town and raising the awareness and investment into the town at a localised level in Selsey;
Production of a Transport Study, a public realm strategy and a development brief have been prioritised in Bognor Regis;
Funding in Littlehampton is being used to support research and development into the regeneration of Littlehampton Harbour and a development brief to take forward the key site of St Martins within the Vision;
The production of a seafront and public realm strategy and the production of Civic, Cultural and Retail Heart Development Brief in Worthing;
In Shoreham, funding has been prioritised for a significant project to create a Voluntary/Community Sector hub in order to release a strategic site for re-development.

Contact info

5 Town Network
Adur District Council, Civic Centre, Ham Road
BN43 6PR Shoreham-by-Sea
United Kingdom
Gemma Warr (5 Town Network Manager), tel. +44 7894 588 711

Links

More information on the 5 Towns Network

Progress report on Network activities, details of the Sustainable Communities Training and Development Programme and information on the Learning Laboratory project (PDF, 43KB) English

Document type

network

Themes

Urban Policy

Keywords

Skills & capacity building