Lord Blunkett has said plans for the regeneration of towns should have the right level of input from the businesses closest to them – through collaborative working with local government.
His comments came in answer to a question from Southport-based international tourism and attractions expert Norman Wallis, who owns Southport Pleasureland.
Mr Wallis, who joined former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett at the latest Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland webinar, is heavily involved in plans for Southport’s regeneration – and working with Sefton Council.
His own plans include an international attraction that will draw visitors and boost the region’s economy; plans that have council support.
He asked Lord Blunkett for his views on the importance of including local stakeholders in the mix of regeneration planning decision-makers across Britain’s towns with a particular focus on Government funding behind the Town Deal initiative.
The Southport Town Deal board submitted its £50million proposal for funding on 31 October and is currently awaiting the Government’s response.
In a personal letter to Mr Wallis, Lord Blunkett said: “The investment towns has been a bit controversial in terms of the criteria used but is obviously an excellent initiative in its own right.
“At local level, there is clearly an imperative for those who have the reins to ensure that they listen, collaborate and work together.
“It is (…) crucial that everyone can play their part and that their expertise and experience is used to the full.
“I think that the new business secretary will be genuinely interested in spreading best practice and making sure that what works is clearly not only available to, but encouraged to be adopted, by the whole country.”
Mr Wallis, who will develop the Southport Pleasureland park into an international theme park and has signed an exclusivity deal with one of the most popular family IPs (intellectual property), put the case that planning for Town Deal money for the UK’s visitor economy towns should be carefully considered by tourism experts to achieve the best results.
He said it was clear staycations would rise and that Britain’s leisure and tourism towns had to be ready to deliver an end-to-end ‘fantastic, and functional’, visitor experience. He said it was crucial that attractions-planning worked to increase visitor footfall but warned that any mis-step in the thinking could result in competing attractions or attractions sited too close together, causing traffic, competition and infrastructure problems.
“For visitor economy towns to work – and for them to get the best result for any grant money – the planners’ first thought must be how to create attractions that work together. It is also very important that new attractions play their part in being sensitive to the environment and offer buildings, construction work and operational practices that are sustainable,” he added.
Mr Wallis welcomed Lord Blunkett’s thoughts on how decisions were informed, including working with businesses, to deliver a successful outcome.
Mr Walls said: “In Southport I’m fortunate to be working with Sefton Council and speaking with Liverpool City Region decision-makers.
“Collaborative working between those best informed is the only way for UK tourism destination towns to get it right. It is the only way to guarantee British tax-payers and local townspeople that Town Deal money is being well-spent.”
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