Agenda item

The Chairman provided an overview of the various actions taken so far, including the Hive report, outcome of work provided by MR following the Bid feasibility exercise and the report from the Traders’ meeting. The Chairman then invited members to discuss the next steps to decide what we are going to go forward with.

Members discussed the various solutions that had been raised at the Traders’ meeting;

·      Parking Charges – Various ideas were discussed to encourage increased footfall in the Town Centre, including the potential for free parking after 3.00pm funded by the Town Team or Chamber of Commerce. A subsidised parking scheme, whereby a proportion of the parking charge would be refunded, was also considered; however, this was noted to be complex due to the many users paying via the parking app rather than cash.

It was noted that through use of the parking app, parking can be purchased at a cost of £2.31 per day in a long-stay car park, subject to pre-loading £35 credit into the app. It was agreed that this information should be promoted to improve awareness.

Members also discussed the 1-hour free parking that was agreed with the Co-op for residents in Callington. The Chairman in going to contact Co-op to investigate whether the Co-op would do the same in Saltash at the Culver Road car park.

SB advised that any resolution would need to be sustainable for the future and a long-term solution that doesn’t rely on ongoing funding. It was noted that many traders currently close earlier in the afternoon; therefore, free of subsidised parking after 3.00pm would be unlikely to increase footfall if shops were closed. For such initiatives to be successful, traders would need to work in partnership and consider remaining open for longer hours.

·      Advertising and banners – KJ suggested advertising at the Retail Park to entice people into the Town centre to eat at the Pubs and Restaurants and shop in the town. It was noted that Community Enterprises PL12 does currently have a sign there to direct people to the Town centre and there is a space underneath to display Banners. Members agreed that it would be beneficial to contact local businesses to explore creation of their own banner for display here. The Chairman confirmed that he would take this action forward and contact local pubs and restaurants.

·      Band Stand in Victoria Park / Events – The Chairman advised that the Band Stand is outside of the Town centre and as such funding would not be available for it.

·      Training for Businesses - KJ suggested AI and Social Media training for Saltash businesses. Members discussed this and there are providers that can offer workshops and perhaps this could lead to a quarterly Traders meeting to share ideas and help other traders. Community Enterprises PL12 could potentially arrange workshops that could be led by the traders. Members agreed that morning meetings and workshops would be beneficial to attract more participation. HF will investigate this and report back.

·      Wedding Venue - KJ suggested using the Long Room as a wedding venue to attract visitors into the Town Centre.  SB advised that this has previously been considered, but unfortunately the Town Council doesn’t have the staff resources to host such an event currently.

·      Augmented Reality Trail – HF suggested using some of the available S106 funds to create an Augmented Reality Trail through Saltash Town Centre.  She has previously engaged with a company called Carbon Pixel regarding a previous idea. There is a CMS system behind it which allows for changes to the trail so this could be adapted for other events.  SG has offered to work with HF on this and report back.

·      BID outcome – MR provided an update on the feasibility of the Saltash BID following the Traders’ meeting.  It was generally considered that the traders put lots of idea’s forward, however they were not interested in doing a BID as they were unable to commit the spending on it and it was noted that Town Team and the Town Council are already providing a lot of improvements. At this stage it was agreed not to proceed with the Saltash Bid. Members thanked MR for all of her hard work on the BID and it was noted that she will no longer continue to attend Town Team meetings.