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Baldock Town Centre Strategy
Special Notice:
The Town Centre Strategy for Baldock envisaged a number of improvements to the town centre following the opening of the Baldock Bypass.
Information on the town centre improvements can be found on the Town Centre Enhancement page.
Background
Since January 2005, the Council has been working together with members of a local Town Centre Stakeholder Group in preparing a Town Centre Strategy for Baldock. The Stakeholder Group comprised 60+ representatives from local organisations, businesses and the residential community. This Group met three times with Council Officers to discuss various issues and provide proactive inputs to progress the strategy. Officers also met with the Knights Templar School Council to gain young people’s views and ideas for the Baldock town Centre. A draft was prepared and agreed for public consultation in September/October 2005.
Amendments were made to the draft Strategy in light of comments received during the consultation process and a revised Strategy was presented to Members of the Baldock & District Area Committee and Cabinet for agreement and recommendation to Full Council for adoption. The Baldock Town Centre Strategy together with an Action Plan was adopted by Full Council on 19th January 2006 as the Council’s Statement of Policy.
A Town Centre Strategy for Baldock
The revised Strategy attempts to recognise the varying interests of the town together with the issues and needs of the local community and young people expressed through the Stakeholder workshops. See below for link to view copies of the notes from these workshops.
The purpose of the Strategy is to provide a framework to promote integrated development and enhancement of the Baldock Town Centre that will seek to:
- Benefit the future economic viability and vitality of the town centre, with special; emphasis on its future following the completion of the Baldock Bypass and the decrease in traffic passing through the town centre
- Emphasise its historic character as a market town, and
- Meet the needs of its business and local community.
The Strategy comprises an overall vision with aims and policy guidance, and looks forward to the next 10 years, to 2016. The Strategy is divided into a number of themes, which provide a series of policies to help deliver the aims of the Strategy and contribute to the Council’s strategic objectives as set out in the Corporate Plan. The themes include:
- Built Environment and public spaces
- Enhancement opportunities to the street scene
- Land use activities including shopping, commercial and residential land uses
- Community facilities
- Transport and Access
- Community Safety, and
- Promoting and marketing the town.
The Strategy is supported by an Action Plan, which sets short to medium term targets that will seek to deliver the policy and aims of the Strategy. The Action Plan is attached at Appendix 5 to the Strategy and will be reviewed on an annual basis. See link below.
Further Information
If you require any additional information about the draft Baldock Town Centre Strategy or about the next phases in the project then please contact the Planning Policy & Projects group.
Tel: 01462 474 000 or via Email: service@north-herts.gov.uk
Baldock Town Centre Strategy Appendix: Baldock Town Centre Action Plan Fig 1: Location Plan Fig 2: Baldock Town Centre and Conservation Area Fig 3: Gateways Fig 4: Land Uses Baldock Town Centre Stakeholder Group Workshop Notes
