How design teams can support local authority place-making
The places that we live in benefit from periods of holistic thinking. However, the opportunity for local authorities to engage in their locale in this proactive way are few and far between – placemaking budgets are rare to come by.
When confronted with these opportunities local authorities should consider employing design teams to help with building the vision required for an impactful, future-orientated scheme that goes beyond ad hoc interventions, and to support the critical engagement process in exciting and creative ways.
One of the placemaking funding opportunities that has been available in recent years is Historic England’s ambitious Heritage Action Zone program, which offers funding packages to stimulate economic growth through breathing life into rich historic fabric of some of the UK’s high streets. The program is part of the governments Future High Street fund which sits at the heart of efforts in recent decades to sustain these critical pieces of social fabric in face of decline. Through investment in the social and physical fabric, the fund has sought to keep people visiting and using high streets – bringing back some of the footfall which has been lost.
MOPA are currently working with North Norfolk District Council to deliver their HAZ Building Improvement Grant in North Walsham. It sits along a wider package of work being delivered by the council, including public realm improvements, and the restoration of a significant historic asset within the council portfolio at The Cedars. Through these three projects the HAZ team are working to a joined-up view of place, generated through extensive research and consultation, which will be one of the projects great successes.
North Walsham is a historic market, which has held a market since the 13th century. Like much of Norfolk, the town grew with the arrival of the Flemish weavers and much of the merchant wealth was through the cloth industry. The historic affluence is visible in the buildings, particularly in the historic town centre, with some lovely Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian fabric surviving. Much of the work is being prioritized around key sites along the high street and the attractive ‘shambles’.
With a focus on heritage, the fund facilitates repairs to historic fabric - much of which would likely not be undertaken otherwise. In this way, the repair work to historic assets being undertaken through the fund are preserving North Walsham’s past for posterity.
One of the successes of the Building Improvement Grant project is the decentralized model of delivery which has seen a significant number of individual projects brought forward, spreading benefit and impact. This highlights the importance of both intensive and early engagement within place-making grants. At MOPA we are interested in how this can be done creatively, as part of a co-design process, which brings about the engagement with place that will have a lasting impact to outstrip the fund.
Another outcome of funds such as the HAZ is the economic boost to supply chains. As a HAZ team, we have been explicit about the impact of this, focusing on both local procurement and upskilling. Part of the scheme will see a series of heritage-based workshops facilitated by MOPA - including working with lime mortar and traditional sign writing.
Working alongside local authorities, design teams can bring not only resource, but a new place-based perspective, engagement expertise and project management skills that enable funding pots to move beyond individual projects, and deliver something truly long-term and transformational.