Ways to transform Whitehaven were discussed when an expert from the Government’s High Streets Task Force delivered a workshop for senior council, business and community leaders at Whitehaven Civic Hall on Monday 8 October.
The visit and expert report are part of a package of support that the area will continue to receive after it was selected by Government in 2022 as one of a second group of 68 places to work directly with the High Streets Task Force.
Sonia Cubrilo, who has over 30 years of practical experience regenerating and revitalising town centres, is an appointed Expert of the High Streets Task Force and led a three-hour workshop. During the day, she heard directly from stakeholders about their aspirations for Whitehaven.
The expert met with senior representatives from the local authority, including the Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, businesses and community groups, to explain and explore local issues and ways of tackling them.
Speaking about the visit, Sonia Cubrilo, said:
“It was great for the High Street Task Force to deliver this workshop and have strong representation from Cumberland Council, Whitehaven Town Council, businesses and communities who all gave up their valuable time on Monday to rethink regeneration for Whitehaven.”
“Developing collaborative partnerships can make a real difference to the town centre. The key message that I always leave participants with is a quote from Bernard Shaw - “don’t wait for the right opportunity: create it”. Lots of places have started to do just that up and down the country, and those opportunities await Whitehaven too.”
The Task Force will continue to work with Cumberland Council through the coming months, providing a range of services to support transformation in the area.
The objectives of the workshop were to:
- Provide an understanding of the challenges.
- Explore the strengths of Whitehaven and the role of effective partnerships, with businesses and the wider community to build capacity for change.
- Enable key Town Centre stakeholders to understand their roles and responsibilities for improving the Town Centre.
- Develop the key actions required to take things to the next stage.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer added:
“The workshop was a great opportunity for local stakeholders, businesses and other local groups to meet and share ideas. They have a wealth of experience which they were given the opportunity to share.
“This is the beginning of a new collaborative process of working together, building wider ownership, to attract more resources into the area and help the town centre reach its full potential, ensuring that the offer of the town remains vibrant.”
The HSTF will now recommend additional support and route-map to progress this work further.