some mixed used development of the commercial forestry area to the rear of the Beacon. However, any development of the commercial forestry land would be subject to a planning application.
What benefits would the Masterplan have for Penrith town centre? A key element of the Masterplan is to provide ongoing support to Penrith town centre. A growing population will generate an increasing number of customers all year round for the town’s shops and businesses. Stuart Harper, owner of Harper’s Toymaster in Middlegate, described the Masterplan plan as ‘very bold’ adding: “People come to Penrith and say it is lovely to see the independent shops, but there are less than there used to be. The truth is that Penrith is suffering because of a drop in footfall. People are not coming into town, not coming into the shops and are moving away. We have to do something to put the vitality back into the town.” The Masterplan also envisages improvements in the infrastructure for pedestrian and cyclists in Penrith town centre. The opportunity also exists to improve the layout and appearance of the area surrounding the train station. The District Council is also working with Cumbria County Council to carry out a traffic modelling exercise to address how traffic flow could be improved around Penrith, including the town centre. Town Hall Treasures jewellery store owner, Vanessa Aked, said she could see the logic of how an increasing population could help Penrith’s high street, but wanted to see a discussion around reducing traffic in the town centre. “I think pedestrianisation could work, but I’m not sure how popular an idea that is. It’s certainly a nice experience in other towns and they cope by restricting deliveries
Cllr Owen with Helen and David Johnson from Calthwaite to before a certain time. Perhaps Penrith could have a delivery hub so lorries wouldn’t have to come through the middle of town and smaller vehicles could bring goods to the shops,” she said. More could also be done to celebrate the area’s rich and colourful history with a particular focus on Penrith Castle and Castle Park. An upgrade to the bus station would see extra stands for new routes and services and new cycle storage facilities. We would also look to enhance the cultural offer within the town centre, complementing outdoor opportunities found in the nearby Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Park and North Pennines. The Council believes that working alongside the Penrith Chamber of Trade and Business Improvement Districts, that plans can be put in place that encourage the link between the new Beacon Villages and employment land over the course of the development of the Masterplan so everyone benefits. How does the Masterplan meet the government criteria for a garden village bid and will this help support Penrith’s existing town centre?
a garden community. It states that the villages should be ‘built at a scale which supports the necessary infrastructure to allow the community to function selfsufficiently on a day to day basis’. For the larger garden communities i.e new towns over 10,000 new homes may require a larger centre of shops. The Penrith Strategic Masterplan proposals for the three new settlements are at the lower end of the scale for garden villages and, as such, may support a small convenience store such as a co-op/ spar/nisa which incorporates a post office, along with a multi-purpose civic building that could be used, in part, as a doctors surgery. The new settlements are to support Penrith’s existing town centre.
More public engagement events taking place up until 30 October 2018 For more information about the Penrith Strategic Masterplan including frequently asked questions and to give your views as part on the online survey visit www.beaconvillages.co.uk
The Government’s garden village prospectus outlines that there is no single template for The best rates in advertising, with the best distribution for local business
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