Workshops will be held to help make improvements in a north Cumbrian community.
Carlisle City Council is putting together a place plan for Longtown – which has up to £3 million available to be spent on the community – to help make it more sustainable, support development and renewal and help boost the local economy.
Residents and businesses of the Longtown area are being asked for their opinions on what is good about it and how it could be improved.
The next four workshops will be held at Longtown Community Centre and focus on different aspects to help pull together the plan.
Knowing Longtown: Saturday June 11, 10am-1pm
- What do we know?
- Walkabout – what do we feel?
Imagining Longtown 1: Saturday June 25, 10am-1pm
- What makes a good place?
Imagining Longtown 2: Saturday July 9, 10am-1pm
- What could we do here?
Making the plan: Saturday July 23, 10am-1pm
- Where could we make the changes we want to see?
- How do we prioritise what to do and when?
The workshop sessions will result in the production of a place plan by the end of the year, which will outline a 10 to 20-year vision for Longtown, identifying a range of projects, activities and funding sources, as well as outline projects that are eligible for Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal funding.
A town team will be set up to help promote, manage and deliver the plan. Community volunteers are invited to join to help make this initiative successful.
Leader of Carlisle City Council, John Mallinson, said: “We’d like to thank all those who attended the first Longtown Place Plan event. It’s important that the residents and businesses in Longtown have their say on how they want the town improved in the future. The Borderlands funding will provide welcomed investment in the area and how it should be spent should be determined by the local communities.”
The funding of capital projects comes from the £452 million Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal signed in March 2021.The growth deal was signed between the UK and Scottish governments and the five councils of the Borderlands Partnership made up of Carlisle City Council, Cumbria County Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council and Scottish Borders Council.
As part of the Borderlands Growth Deal, funding has been allocated to the Place Programme with 21 places receiving up to £3 million each. These towns were selected using an established prioritisation approach. The Place Programme recognises how important smaller rural market and coastal towns are to the Borderlands economy by revitalising these places.
For more Information: https://www.borderlandsgrowth.com/place-programme
