TENTERDEN REGENERATION - CHANGES IN THE TOWN
The Public Consultation
Following a competitive tender process, Lipton Group (a trading name of Leslie Lipton Ltd) was hired as an independent consultation specialist to ascertain the communities hopes, dreams and fears for how the Tent1 money should be spent. The original remit was extended as the consultation began as it became clear the community wanted to discuss other things.
Having monitored the process, the council has accepted the attached final report in that they believe it has been professionally and independently created, and does represent the views of the community as collected over three months and through face to face and digital means. The council also accepts the suggestions and recommendations made by the consultants as being logical assumptions that have been tested in front of the community.
However, it should be understood that acceptance of the report does not necessarily imply the council shares all the views or will follow all recommendations. The final decision and responsibility for controlling expenditure remains with the council.
The report’s findings will kick-start a number of exciting projects and inform future priorities for the town.
The Results
New and improved facilities are on the way. The Town Council will spend in excess of £3 million on a range of projects which will play a big role in the town’s regeneration. This will be supplemented by outside grant funding and targeted funds (Section 106) from developers of housing schemes around the town.
The first project to be tackled will be the re-ordering of Tenterden recreation ground and provision of a skate park and additional facilities on the land.
The scope of the report extends to extra projects outside the council’s remit, and therefore information will be shared with the Leisure Centre, St Mildred’s Church and other partners in order to collaborate to maximise additional external grant funding and give a cohesive approach to projects within the town.
Town Clerk Phil Burgess said: “This is a great opportunity for the Town Council to undertake projects, safe in the knowledge that we have the full support from the local community. Thank you to everyone involved in the process so far for their hard work and effort on behalf of the town. We urge residents to set aside some time to read the report and find out more details about the new and improved facilities that are on the table. There are exciting times ahead for the town.”