Plan backed to put heart back into Newark town centre
A £2.1m project to breath new life into Newark town centre was unanimously approved.
The Cultural Heart of Newark programme, which would bring dramatic changes to the town centre, was backed with little debate by the town council’s finance and general purposes committee.
Suggestions of how the money — part of the Newark Towns Fund bid — could be spent include pedestrianising parts of the town centre, and improvements to Riverside Park, Newark Castle and Gardens and Newark Market Place to make more flexible, multi-purpose spaces and encourage more all-year-round use, including large one-off concerts or events or specialist markets and fairs.
The proposals aim to address a decline in town centre footfall and encourage more people who live locally, as well as tourists, to visit Newark through offering more to see and to do.
The meeting agreed unanimously that the town council would be the project lead on the Cultural Heart of Newark project from April, that it would work in partnership with the district council to access the £2.1m allocated to the project, pending government approval of the business case that will be prepared.
For that business case, a masterplan needs to be produced and a project event oversight board needs convening.
The money comprises £1.5m of capital funding and £0.6m for revenue costs distributed evenly over the three financial years to 2024-25.
It was also agreed to use the money to recruit a new project development officer on a two-year fixed contract and a town centre events officer.
The recommendations were passed with little debate.
However, Irene Brown said town centre security needed to be addressed as part of the project.
While Lisa Geary also pushed the message of the importance of youngsters not being forgotten.
She said: “There are a lot of young people in the market place this evening despite the inclement weather having nothing to do.
“With this Cultural Heat of Newark, it is very important to provide things for young people as well.”
