To engage businesses more in the future regeneration of their town centre, it was important to give them a sense of agency and also make them feel more appreciated by the council. From the fallout of the Business Improvement District campaign, a Community Interest Company has been set up called Tamworth Is Open – and the advisers recommended that businesses be supported to take on a more active role. This could include a bigger role in building a year-round vibrant events calendar, which businesses felt was critical to improving footfall levels.
Similarly, to strengthen relations with elected members, it was recommended that training on the needs and role of small business was established for councillors. Business has very different needs to that of residents and many councillors have little experience of dealing with small business owners or a wider understanding of their role in creating a vibrant ecosystem.
To strengthen this ecosystem, business support initiatives were recommended to help independents and foster a healthy start-up culture. The advisers provided a range of options from meanwhile programmes to enterprise arcades and specialist initiatives to help online businesses try out physical space so that Tamworth can become a test-bed for new businesses.
Furthermore, to help the high street break out of a 20th century retail model and recognize that future town centres need to be focused more around socializing and unique experiences, the advisers recommended a decisive shift to prioritise food and drink.
This would reflect the resurgence in speciality food with convenience stores, independent delis, farm shops and artisan food businesses gaining an increased market share. It would also help strengthen links between the town centre and Tamworth’s farming, pig breeding and artisan food producing heritage.
To ensure Tamworth does not fall behind current trends in food and drink, a food and drink strategy was recommended to create and diversify the offer, support food and drink festivals and provide low entry costs for street food vans, trucks and artisan producers in order to attract investment.
To further facilitate this shift away from a limited retail focus to one which embraces culture, leisure and food and drink, low-cost changes were recommended to the public realm such as parklets, seating areas and more open space to create more gathering points and social spaces.