Southwold Coastal Community Team

Community Survey for Southwold Coastal Community Team

Southwold faces all kinds of challenges and opportunities. But the recent designation of the town as a Coastal Community Team means it can now look to its future with renewed confidence.
The CCT* Steering Group is producing an Economic Plan for Southwold designed to help boost the economic prosperity and well-being of the town with a programme of actionable initiatives that can attract future funding and deliver benefits to all living and working in Southwold.
So we need you to tell us by 1st March what is most important for you and for Southwold.
From earlier work done for the Southwold Town Strategy and the Neighbourhood Plan, we have identified a number of potential initiatives to address some of the key challenges and opportunities for Southwold. Listed under each of the 8 priority areas that follow in this survey, please rank them in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

Many thanks for your help! Deadline for responses is Wednesday 1st March!

* The CCT is supported by Southwold Town Council, Waveney District Council, Reydon Parish Council, Southwold & Reydon Society, Southwold Chamber of Trade and local businesses.

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* 1. Diversify the local economy
Southwold has a strong, seasonal visitor economy but to sustain high street and local businesses year round, and to attract younger people and families to live here, it needs to diversify its economy.
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Investigate opportunities for potential new sites and the use of existing assets for knowledge-based businesses

b) Remodel the Town Council-owned Station Road site into a business hub including small business units and space for artisans

c) Support the Save Our Southwold initiative to create a knowledge-based business hub on the old Southwold Hospital site

d) Research what Southwold needs to attract and create a focus for knowledge-based businesses

e) Explore the potential of attracting supply chain businesses for Adnams as the company’s business continues to grow

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* 2. Help balance the local community in terms of age, local residents and jobs
Less than half the households in Southwold are occupied by local residents and more than 50% of the population is over 65. What can we do to reverse the decline in the resident population, achieve a more balanced age range and make the town more attractive for younger families to live and work?
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Promotional programme to attract people to live and work in Southwold (e.g. from other parts of East Anglia, surrounding counties and London)

b) Seek to influence how existing businesses/agents promote the town as a place to live and work

c) Explore with organisations like Adnams, Suffolk County Council and Sizewell the scope to create employment opportunities, e.g. by helping to develop Station Road and Hospital sites

d) Work with organisations such as TechEast to promote home and flexible working

e) Identify and encourage development opportunities for affordable and/or social housing

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* 3. Conserve and promote our local heritage
Southwold is a beautiful historic market town with many notable historic buildings including the Town Hall, the Market Place, St Edmund’s Church and many fine terraces. How can we ensure that Southwold retains its unique character and how can we make more of our local heritage so that it is better understood and appreciated?
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Complete and implement the Southwold Neighbourhood Plan to preserve the town’s special character and limit inappropriate development.

b) Incorporate our design plans in potential developments at the entrance to the town

c) Create a self-guided town trail highlighting notable historic buildings including the Town Hall, Market Place, St Edmund’s Church, the Lighthouse, Adnams brewery, significant terraces, etc

d) Install interpretation panels at key places to help visitors appreciate and understand the town’s heritage

e) Commission public art works as part of a sculpture trail (possibly along route from proposed visitor centre to Boating Lake) to differentiate the town and raise its profile

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* 4. Preserve our natural environment
As well as for its built environment, Southwold is much loved by residents and visitors alike for its beaches, harbour, Common, greens and marshes. However many of these natural assets are threatened by coastal erosion and other consequences of climate change. What should we do better to preserve our natural environment and help ensure it is valued and respected by everyone?
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Better maintenance and management of open spaces and natural areas, including the denes, the marshes, Tibby’s Green, and other play areas, and seek to retain green spaces in the town for community use

b) Support the Southwold Millennium Foundation in creating a new visitor centre on the site opposite Stella Peskett Millennium Hall to interpret wildlife and the marshes

c) Support the Boating Lake in creating new lakes and wildlife havens beside the Boating Lake

d) Create a self-guided trail leaflet promoting walks from the new visitor centre (e.g. to new wildlife lakes by the Boating Lake and to the Harbour) and explaining special qualities of the natural environment

e) Install a network of interpretation panels describing the local environment and its wildlife

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* 5. Secure and enhance our community and cultural assets.
Southwold has lost some local services, such as its surgery and the community hospital, and while GP and outpatient services have transferred to the new health centre in Reydon, there is a concern other services may be lost if there is a lack of demand from or use by a dwindling resident population or the town is seen as low priority by external organisations because of budget pressures.
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Work with relevant groups to retain a thriving library and resource centre

b) Explore the scope to enhance library facilities by relocation to the old Hospital site

c) Work more closely with organisations to enhance community assets and experiences such as the Southwold Arts Festival and Southwold Arts Centre at St Edmunds Hall

d) Liaise with the Save Our Southwold group to maximise the opportunity for community services such as an enhanced library and education hub at the former hospital

e) Work with the various museums in the town to enhance their facilities, visitor offer and education programmes, developing funding bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund and others as appropriate

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* 6. Maintain and promote the vitality of the High Street
Southwold’s popular High Street, with its mix of pubs, cafes and small independent shops is a magnet for visitors. However it is also a casualty of its own success with demand from national retailers driving up the costs of rent and the recent rates revaluation threatens to force many small independent shops out of business. The retail mix also does not necessarily meet the everyday needs of local residents. What should be done to revitalise the High Street and help local businesses succeed and serve the needs of both visitors and residents?
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Work with the local authority, local businesses and other relevant partners to explore options for reducing the negative impacts of the recent business rates revaluation

b) Seek to develop the use of Town Council owned sites by local businesses with favourable rents and encourage the purchase of further commercial sites by the Town Council when the opportunity arises

c) Develop a Town Centre Strategy to leverage the strengths of the High Street and other traders within the town

d) Appoint a Town Centre Manager to bring together all local businesses, coordinate and promote events and activities (both new and existing), manage a new website for Southwold, and market the town to shoppers and visitors

e) Communicate with national and regional chains to secure their support for town initiatives

f) Develop a programme of events around the year which enliven the High Street and attract more shoppers and visitors, such as a High Street or food festival

g) Build on previous work done by My Southwold and the Chamber of Trade to promote retail businesses in the town

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* 7. Address access, parking and transport issues
As a measure of Southwold’s success it suffers traffic congestion and parking problems, especially in the peak summer months with shoppers, visitors and residents alike finding it difficult to park and easily access the town. What can we do to help ease Southwold’s parking and transport problems, and improve access for pedestrians as well as vehicles?
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Work with third parties on the potential for delivering suitable recommendations (?) from the Town Council’s recent Parking Review

b) Support the Southwold Millennium Foundation in the creation of a new 200-space car park as part of its plans for a new Visitor Centre on the site opposite Stella Peskett Millennium Hall

c) Liaise with partners, such as Adnams and their 84-acre distribution centre site, regarding the feasibility and establishment of a park and ride

d) Re-examine timed delivery of larger vehicles and ensure this and time limited parking are enforced

e) Improved directional signage both for pedestrians and for road users

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* 8. Make our visitor economy stronger and more sustainable
Southwold recently finished second in a list of the top 30 seaside towns in Britain compiled by the Rough Guide and it attracts visitors from all over the country and from abroad who make a vital contribution to the town’s economy. However, the town is over-busy at peak periods and there is insufficient trade in off-season to sustain some businesses.
Please rank the possible initiatives below in order of importance to you, where 1 is the most important.

a) Develop a Destination Management Plan for Southwold uniting all businesses involved in and benefiting from the visitor economy, and identifying improvements to enhance the visitor experience, e.g. public WCs, visitor information, signage, etc

b) Put in place a marketing plan for extending the season including the promotion of events and initiatives to attract visitors outside the peak tourist season, especially those related to physical and mental well-being

c) Create a new website for Southwold – to include live webcams and weather feeds, events information, etc

d) Develop a Southwold App which includes visitor information, events, heritage and wildlife trails, etc

e) Promote the Harbour as a key part of the visitor offer for Southwold and as a port of call for visiting cruise ships

f) Work more closely with the Suffolk Coast Destination Marketing Organisation

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* 9. If you have any further comments to add, please write them here:

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* 10. And finally, please tell us about your connection to Southwold (tick all that apply).

I am a permanent resident of Southwold

I work or have a business here

I have a holiday home here

I am a permanent resident of Reydon

I live in the local area and visit Southwold regularly