Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Plan Launched
Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Plan Launched
This week, the independent Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Panel, in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council, launched a new vision for the future of Great Harwood’s High Street and plan that is both ambitious and achievable.
This plan sets out a range of proposals for investment in the town centre, including improvements to public spaces, support for local businesses, and the development of leisure facilities. These proposals will help to create a more vibrant and sustainable town centre that meets the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
The plan identifies the strengths of the town and aims to build on these strengths to drive improvement. These are:
- Community Spirit and Engagement: Great Harwood boasts a robust community spirit and a strong sense of pride among its residents. This is evident in the widespread support and active participation in various community events and activities, such as the annual Agricultural Show, the annual Boundary Walk, and the annual Horticultural and Craft Show.
- Local Businesses and Speciality Shops: The town’s high street is vibrant and diverse, featuring unique speciality shops that draw visitors from surrounding areas, notable establishments include: Finch Bakery, Townsend Records, and Brie Mine.
- Green Spaces: Great Harwood is surrounded by open countryside with the Conifer Plantation and Reservoir in the west of the town, Martholme Greenway to the east, the ‘White Path’ to the south, and Bowley Hill and Scout Camp to the north. All within walking distance of the town centre.
- Historical and Cultural Assets: The town is rich in historical and cultural assets, including the old town hall, town square, several old mills and Mercer Hall.
Image: Peter Holden, Chair of the Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Panel; Joyce Newton and Councillor Heather Anderson, Members of the Panel pictured on Queen Street, Great Harwood.
The plan also highlights the town’s weaknesses, which present opportunities for big improvements: stagnant footfall, some empty and neglected buildings, a number of which have a negative affect on the appearance of Queen Street, underutilised heritage assets, lack of marketing and promotion, anti-social behaviour, and lack of youth and recreational facilities have been identified as key areas were improvements can be made.
The objective of the High Street Accelerators Pilot Programme is for local stakeholders to work in partnership to support the long-term revival and regeneration of local high streets. Local stakeholder groups will work in partnership with the local authority, Hyndburn Borough Council in this case, to put together a long-term vision to revive and regenerate their high street.
Peter Holden, Chair of the Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Panel, said:
“Our aim in developing this plan was to create a vision for the future of our town that is both ambitious and achievable. We wanted to ensure that the plan reflects the unique character and needs of Great Harwood while also addressing the challenges it faces, such as vacant shop units and declining footfall.
This plan has been produced with input from local stakeholders, businesses and those with a vested interest in improving Great Harwood. I am confident that this plan will provide a roadmap for the future of Great Harwood and help to ensure that it continues to be a thriving and vibrant community for generations to come.”
Feedback from these groups have allowed the panel to develop a vision for what it wants Queen Street’s future to look like, as well as a strategy for reaching it. This strategy responds to the strengths and weaknesses highlighted above, develops a series of guiding principles and objectives for intervention, and finally sets out a series of practical actions which can be taken. The funding provided by the High Street Accelerator programme provides sufficient resourcing to make a start with the proposed intervention list throughout the official timespan of the programme.
It is hoped that the partnership will extend past the official close of the programme in June 2025, using the strategy set out here to continue to intervene into the town and deliver on the vision it has developed. The partnership will also seek wider funding opportunities outside those offered by the High Street Accelerator programme.
The plan highlights the following strategic objectives:
- Increase Visitor Numbers: Better promotion, providing draws to potential visitors, improving the look of Queen Street, and enhancing traffic flow and accessibility.
- Have Fewer Empty Properties: Engaging with property owners, increasing footfall, and making properties more attractive propositions.
- Improve Traffic Flow: Better signage and a study into creating a shared space scheme for Queen Street.
- Improve the Appearance of Queen Street: Engaging with local business and property owners, improving decoration, and dealing with weeds and other blights.
- Better Promotion: Structured marketing and promotional campaigns.
- Bring Heritage Assets to the Foreground: Planning events and promoting heritage assets.
Councillor Heather Anderson, Overton Ward Councillor and Panel Member, said:
“Having fewer empty shops is important for the vitality of our high street. By engaging with property owners and encouraging new businesses to set up, or to enhance the appearance of their building, we can help Queen Street to thrive. I also look forward to the improvements to green spaces that the plan will bring, and we have already begun public consultation to identify where this can be best delivered.”
Lauren Maguire, Panel Member and Owner of Brie Mine, expressed support for the plan:
“As a local business owner, I am delighted to be a member of the panel and I am fully behind the work we are doing. The improvements to Queen Street and the increased promotion of Great Harwood will undoubtedly benefit my business and many others. We are excited about the positive changes this plan will bring. In particular, I’m looking forward to the facade grants for high street businesses and that will enable many small and independent businesses to upgrade shop fronts and encourage new businesses to open in an empty building.”
To meet the objectives, the panel have identified several specific interventions which will be delivered, including:
- Letters to property owners encouraging them to rent out or improve vacant properties.
- ‘Community Chest’ grants to local businesses for upgrading frontages.
- Consider a range of street decoration to enhance the visual aspect of the high street e.g. bunting, flags, hanging baskets, or planters.
- Undertake a feasibility study for a more pedestrian friendly space along Queen Street, which also looks at improved signage throughout Queen Street and Great Harwood.
- Organising events to test footfall and interest, such as light events, music events, artisan food markets, and film festivals. Together with marketing campaigns targeting the wider Lancashire and North West region.
Councillor Noordad Aziz, Deputy Leader of the Council and Panel Member, said:
“Work has already begun on our interventions, particularly on events. Bringing more footfall to Great Harwood is essential for our local businesses. Last year’s winter events demonstrated our ability to attract visitors, and we have committed to ensuring Great Harwood is included in this year’s Council funded events programme. These events will boost the local economy and provide opportunities for our businesses to thrive.”
The Great Harwood High Street Accelerator Plan is funded by the UK Government via the High Street Accelerators Pilot Programme. The plan can be viewed in full here.