We can’t turn back the clock, but we can invest in the future

How do we solve the challenges facing our town centres? Online shopping, the pandemic and higher costs have piled on the pressure over the last decade.

Every high street has felt the impact, with competition for people’s time and attention now fiercer than ever.

Why does this matter so much, and why is it in everyone’s interests that our town centres survive and thrive?

Put simply, they are the one thing that connects a community. They should be a source of local pride, a place that people are drawn to for socialising, shopping, eating out, experiencing culture and much more.

Like all towns, Stowmarket – at the heart of our Mid Suffolk district – has experienced changes in the recent years.

Make no mistake - it has some truly brilliant attractions and strengths, such as The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts, Food Museum, The Mix, and The Regal and some great independent businesses.

But at Mid Suffolk District Council, we recognise the challenges and are investing in its future.

This summer, we announced we were ploughing £1.5m from Gateway 14 – our council-owned business, innovation and logistics park on the outskirts of the town – into regenerating the town centre by bringing empty units back into use.

This could involve the council buying buildings, renting them for a short term or helping to support refurbishment.

We can then help potential occupiers wanting a town centre premises to find a location – literally opening the door for new businesses, pop-ups and other ventures looking to launch their first store or space.

The types of use encouraged include arts and cultural experiences, tourism, community activities, retail, small business workspaces, leisure, food and drink and ‘pop up’ activities that bring something new to the town.

This project is called the Stowmarket Town Centre Gateway Fund, and we are inviting applications from agents and landlords of empty units, as well as potential tenants, to see how funding may be best used to help new business and community ventures off the ground.

Bringing attractions to the town centre that complement what the town already has to offer will, in turn, create a more resilient mixed-use future and give people an extra reason to visit.

The deadline for the first round of applications is November 15. This is a great scheme which could help unlock new ventures and individual dreams – so please look on our website for more details.

We have also just launched a £400,000 grant scheme for existing retailers to improve the appearances of their shopfronts.

This could include new signage, canopies, lighting, or reinstatement of traditional or historic features that have been lost.

It’s aimed at small and medium-sized firms, not national businesses, and we think it could make a meaningful difference for the overall street scene.

Grants will be available for £10,000 per property, but this could increase to £20,000 for exceptional applications. Applications are expected to have 40% matched funding, but this could be reduced in exceptional circumstances.

Looking ahead, we are also carrying out feasibility work into demand for hotel accommodation in the town.

We’re also improving the town’s environment and connectivity.

Earlier this year, we invested £50K into Stowmarket Town Council’s new Town Ranger Service, which has got off to a great start.

Now, we are also investing in enhanced street cleansing and public realm services. Alongside this, we are creating a new troubleshooting taskforce called REACT – a Respond, Enforce and Clean Team – to tackle little hotspots, flytipping and graffiti across the district.

New community transport services funded by Mid Suffolk District Council’s Rural Transport Grants Scheme are now launching.

The new services will provide community transport options for residents wanting to travel to and from Stowmarket from surrounding villages, and also connect communities in Debenham, Eye and beyond.

We know patchy or non-existent rural transport is a problem for many people, and I’d encourage you to look up further details of these on our website.

At Mid Suffolk District Council, we firmly believe Stowmarket town centre has a bright future.

But no single organisation has all the answers, which is why we are working so closely with our partners, including Stowmarket Town Council, Suffolk County Council and Stowmarket’s new MP, Peter Prinsley.

Together, we can make a difference - creating the conditions that others can then take advantage of.

Last Thursday, we brought together some key people and businesses for an event at The Regal in Stowmarket to talk about the work we and our partners are doing in the town, and to explain how people can get involved.

I was so encouraged by the buzz in the room and the collective desire to make a difference.

There is much to look forward to in Stowmarket – and if our district’s main market town thrives, so do the towns and villages around it.

Councillor Andy Mellen is the Green leader of Mid Suffolk District Council.