Case studies

Stockton town centre is modern, successful and vibrant with impressive public spaces on a High Street with a rich heritage and a niche retail offer.

In 2018, East Suffolk Council took part in a placemaking programme to understand the public perception of Lowestoft and the priorities of businesses, stakeholders, and the community, and to tell the ‘story’ of Lowestoft through identifying the qualities that make the place.

Like many other towns across the UK, Lowestoft has experienced decline in recent years and areas of the town, such as the historic High Street, were in need of reinvigorating to help them to thrive and reach their full potential.

Post-COVID 19 lockdown, Colchester Borough Council faced reduced use of its long-stay car parks and pressure for increased pedestrian and cycle access to the town centre. The solution was to enable a Park Active site for Colchester to encourage motorists to park in peripheral car parks more often and actively complete their journeys by walking or cycling.  The approach is part of a national pilot programme being led by the BPA and supported by the UK Government.

A pilot podcast was created to support the voluntary and business sectors in the Sevenoaks District in their response to and recovery from Covid-19.

Basildon Council have formally adopted a Town Centre Regeneration Strategy which sets out plans for the future of the new town’s retail core.

Buy Local is a new local business directory developed to be easy to register on and use for businesses and customers alike.

In 2019-20, Hampshire County Council’s Construction Skills Fund project trained over 1000 people in one year, and used its Employment and Skills Plans to get people into work with best social value for Hampshire residents.

COVID-19 is proving to disproportionately affect 16-24 year olds who will find it tough to compete in a crowded job market against the newly unemployed with more experience and relevant skills.

The corporate plan, ‘Reimagining Lewes District’, set out the council’s ambitions to achieve net carbon zero whilst continuing to embed community wealth building principles within the district.  This case study sets out how it has started to deliver this, within the challenges of the pandemic.