Strategy

Hastings and St Leonards Town Centre Management
Business Strategy 2006 - 2011

1) Mission

To work in partnership with businesses, government, quasi-governmental and voluntary organisations to encourage the repeated use of the town centre by the community and to raise the well-being and prosperity of those who live, work and spend their leisure and learning time in it.

2) Town Centre Management will develop annual Action Plans based on the following 7 key themes.

URBAN LIVING

- making urban living more attractive through physical and social regeneration, improved design, including improvements to public spaces and events

FEELING SECURE

- making a significant contribution to business crime reduction in the town centre

ACCESS

- making access easier for people who need to reach services such as shops, cultural, educational and recreational facilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

- encouraging better use of natural resources as well as reducing the amount of waste we produce.

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

- focusing on the benefits of tourism marketing and other related initiatives

DEVELOPING SKILLS and EDUCATION

-,promoting training or up-skilling regimes and educating people about ethical business

CONTINUITY

- sourcing funding to maintain a town centre service and public capital investment projects in the longer term

3) It will develop these themes in a 3- phase plan

PHASE 1

– financial year 2006/7 will concentrate on

• Successfully completing the SRB programme and other commitments
• Creating a self-financing business crime reduction partnership as its first commercial enterprise
• Developing the SRB & Objective 2 exit strategy by evaluating a range of future projects and initiatives
• Creating links with vocational training agencies

PHASE 2

– financial years 2007/8 to 2008/9 will concentrate on

• Improving market share in the business crime reduction partnership
• Developing new commercial activity and benefits packages for businesses
• Evaluating a Business Improvement District(s) and external funding opportunities

PHASE 3

- financial years 2009/10 to 2010/11 will concentrate on

• Developing the business crime reduction partnership and other commercial opportunities
• Managing a Business Improvement District

4) Priorities for action over Phase1 and Phase 2 of this plan

A. Continue activities that contribute to the growth of the day-time economy
B. Support and encourage the development of a viable evening economy
C. Promote the town centre to new and existing markets
D. Assist the Safer Hastings Partnership to improve safety and security
E. Support town centre businesses and minimise disruption to pedestrian and commercial activity during town centre re-development work
F. Educate town centre businesses about employment opportunities and ethical practices
G. Develop a prospectus for securing the long-term financial success of the partnership
H. Fill in the gaps in our knowledge

What this plan aims to do and who will benefit from it?

This plan recognises that different partners will derive benefit from this plan in different ways.

What this plan aims to do for businesses

• Increase retail turnover
• Increase rental values
• Increase pedestrian footfall
• Increase visitor numbers
• Reduce commercial vacancy rates
• Reduce town centre business crime

NB. these will become our key economic performance indicators

What this plan aims to do for the Council

• Visibility as an equal partner in the town centre
• Enable it to see and develop the delivery of services that complement and add value to those they already deliver
• Enable it to sustain and extend existing TCM successes
• Help it to achieve its physical and social regeneration objectives, especially those relating to the reduction of deprivation and convergence with other areas in Sussex and the UK.

What this plan aims to do for the community

• Legitimise the town centre as a place it identifies with
• Enhance civic pride
• Create a safer environment

What this plan aims to do for TCM

• Increase membership, support and ownership of the town centre
• Help it to represent the majority of organisations and enable all to benefit from the services provided
• Create long-term sustainability
• Increase its brand value and visibility as a professional organisation

What this plan aims to do for 1066 Enterprise Ltd

• Assist its long-term sustainability
• Offer more opportunities for developing business training courses
• Improve the ratio of business to public sector financial support
• Improve the membership of and support for the Chamber of Commerce

What this plan aims to do for the Safer Hastings Partnership

• Assist it to achieve its Community Strategy goals
• Maximise business co-operation to reduce business crime
• Maintain the Safer Business Award
• Assist it to achieve the Safer Socialising Award