ORCC / SEEDA Market Towns Project Funding

Sun 9 Aug 2009, 09:50

A £7 million Market Towns Project, funded by SEEDA is starting its final two years in the near future. The Programme has been the spring-board for the development of over 28 regeneration projects in rural towns across the region, with many more at the planning and
development stage. Projects are underway in the likes of Chipping Norton and Wantage, but to my knowledge Charlbury is not on the list of eligible towns that is currently participating.

While the main funding has come from SEEDA, matching funds have come from a range of other bodies including local authorities and private business. Some projects have focussed on new community facilities – for example Carterton - and the restoration of local civic assets, others on the provision of increased training, business support or physical improvements to the town centre itself.

I personally would like to see a project which might help regenerate the Town Centre and attract more local and tourist trade within the town. We have any number of locally produced products from farm products to artist's work and it would in my view be good to see at least one of the empty shops used to promote local cottage and rural industry. I even understand that one of our local publicans might be starting his own brewery and I am sure there are many other cottage industries even many residents of the town know nothing of. Whilst I would be reluctant to see Charlbury turn into a Burford or Bourton in the Water in terms of tourist trade, we are blessed with a railway line and our hotels, local shops, camp sites and tourist accommodation would be boosted by exploiting this facility to increase tourist traffic. A local product shop would be a great platform for the industry of some many local businesses and might be one small step towards stemming the rapid decline of the business centre and might encourage other businesses into the area. It would also increase directly and indirectly employment in the town and might encourage more of the majority of Charlbury residents who use the town simply as a dormitory to play a more active role in their community.

It would also make more open the debate as to what types of business are acceptable to the community as I understand proposals for food outlets and the likes have been rejected in the past. Without a published plan and a statement of policy by the Town Council on how it intends to stimulate regeneration of the Town Centre the commerical part of Charlbury will continue its not so slow death and with it, eventually, any sense of community in the Town. The Community 'Health Check' funded by ORCC would at least help focus the community on an active plan for regeneration of our Town Centre and would give all residents a say in what can be done.