05 September 2006

Penrith Master Plan

It's your town - HAVE YOUR SAY ON PENRITH'S FUTURE

The consultants appointed by Penrith Partnership to prepare the Penrith Master Plan are now completing the first stage of their work programme. 

As part of the next stage the team led by Douglas Wheeler Associates will be hosting a Master Plan Workshop to involve residents, local businesses and community group representatives from Penrith and the surrounding area.  The event will be held in the Penrith Methodist Church Hall at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 13 September.  The Workshop is programmed to last around two hours and will centre on discussions in small groups.

Penrith Partnership's Chairman David Robinson is very pleased with the early progress and said,

'Now is the time to shape the future of the town and we are very keen to have a high level of community involvement. The Workshop will be an ideal opportunity to review progress and for local people to have their say, to identify priority issues and move to a consensus on the vision for Penrith and the surrounding area.'

The key aim of the Master Plan is to put in place a planning and design framework to provide a shared sense of direction for Penrith's future.  The Master Plan will identify how to make better use of Penrith's undoubted assets including the speciality shops, historic buildings, townscape and public spaces.  Key challenges are to make moving within and to and from the town centre more 'people friendly' and attractive to local residents, visitors and cyclists and to identify how to better link the New Squares development at Southend Road with the existing town centre.

Jennifer Holliday, the Market Town Initiative Project Manager said

'The Master Plan study is about the town not just individual developments and it is really important for us to gather the views of those who live or work in the town or the surrounding area. Penrith is their town and this is a chance for them to have their say on its future.'

The Penrith Partnership is funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) as part of the area's Market Town Initiative.

Architects Gray, Marshall and Associates are making good progress on the conservation area appraisal and in conjunction with this the mobility and parking appraisal by consulting engineers Faber Maunsell/AECOM is nearing completion.  Douglas Wheeler Associates has followed this up with interviews with a sample of twenty businesses.

Anyone interested in becoming directly involved, or with any queries or questions, should contact Jennifer Holliday, the Penrith Market Town Initiative Project Manager on 01768 817817 or by email penrith.mti@eden.gov.uk