Howdenshire Forward - Bulletin July 2009

Lots of work has been taking place on a number of initiatives and themes.  Please read on to discover more.

Town Centre Design
1. Hailgate Highbridge Junction
Work has been continuing on plans to enhance this area of Howden.  Several consultation meetings have taken place over the course of spring and summer. to give representatives of  local community organisations and residents an opportunity to view and comment on the plans and street furniture.  The plans were approved by representatives of local community groups at three progression meetings and also by residents attending Howden Town Council Annual General meeting.  The plan is linked to Howdenshire Forward's Action Plan priorities and Renaissance Vision to create a stronger sense of place.  A meeting has been held with the head of Economic Development to discuss taking the Project forwards.

2. Pocket Park Street Furniture
A design for the pocket park has been produced by Will Park based on the colour palette of Howden.  Several meetings took place with a number of community organisations to flesh out the designs, consider the long term sustainability of the furniture and discuss how the street furniture could enhance the offer of the pocket park whilst maintaining a high design standard. The items were also discussed and approved by Howden community organisation representatives including Howden Town Forum, Howden Civic Society, Howden Town Council and business representatives at a meeting in Howden with Will Park and Zoe Robinson Kemp, who designed the schematics for the Junction improvements.   Quality of materials has always been an important aspect of the Public Spaces work.  Budgets remain tight and opportunities to improve and enhance public spaces are few and far between, which is why discussions concerning available materials have taken a certain amount of time to conclude.  The plans will enhance the area and provide the town centre with a pleasant place to relax and unwind, in keeping with the colour palette of the town. 

Culture Projects Update
1. Shire Hall: The Planning Application for redevelopment of the Shire Hall was not taken forward, Trustees decided to concentrate on a phased approach to the enhancements by implementing a redesign of the entrance to the building and the inner foyer to enhance access and the aesthetic appearance.  Nick Allen has been working on the plans with Shire Hall Trustees to encapsulate their vision into a design appropriate to the location in Market Square. 

2. The Ashes: A meeting was held to consider a number of options available to the Ashes Trust in working with Howdenshire Forward's Partnership Skills Co-ordinator.  The purpose, aims and ambitions of the Trust were talked through and a decision made to meet with Howden Town Council.  A number of issues will be run through and some decisions made to establish the purpose of The Ashes and begin working on the Vision for the space.  The meeting between the Ashes Trust and Howden Town Council will take place in late July to early August, chaired by Paul Varney and held at the offices of Howdenshire Forwards.

Public Spaces
B1230 - Wallingfen Way Working Group
The Wallingfen Way Working Group is a visionary project aimed at removing a scar on the landscape created by the legacy of the B1230 and replacing it with a rural community corridor, creating distinct community village boundaries and focal points, improving the visual appearance of the environs of the road by creating a `soft' pathway for movement between villages, e.g. continuous footpaths, cycleways and bridleways by narrowing the road between Newport, Gilberdyke and South Cave.  

The Group has been working for a year to produce a Vision Statement that considers the needs and aspirations for Wallingfen Way.  At this years Action for Market Town Awards the Wallingfen Way Working Group won the Yorkshire and Humber Award for Partnership and Strategic Working.  Councillor Paul Robinson collected the framed certificate with Leigh Johnson, Renaissance Co-ordinator, at an event held in the Ritz Cinema at Thirsk on 1st July. 

The judges commented: "A project that is trying to solve a 'real' community issue. Involving three separate communities the project shows that people can work together with one ultimate aim. Innovative and transferable, the next challenge will be to raise sufficient funds to make the vision a reality".

LEADER
Howdenshire's heritage encompasses centuries of exciting history, an opportunity to capture this is being considered through a bid to LEADER for a scoping study working with Barnes Wallis Memorial Trust and Howden Civic Society.

Thank you for talking the time to read about some of the activities happening in Howdenshire. 
If you would like to comment on any of the content please contact me at: leigh.johnson@eastriding.gov.uk or telephone 01482 391689.  To find out more about Howdenshire Forward, please visit: www.howdenshireforward.co.uk