Business, Employment and Housing

From HalesworthTownPlan

Contents 1 Town Centre Development -Town Centre Site: 2 Retail Expansion 3 Industrial Growth 4 Economic Development 5 Affordable Housing 6 Sustainable Building

Town Centre Development -Town Centre Site:

• Mews of small shops to create a `Gateway' leading into the Thoroughfare One larger store for non-food retail (clothing?)
• Versatile Indoor/Outdoor Market/Auction space that could double as public space for concerts/skating rink etc.
• Public open space/park beside the river
• Re-layout the WDC car park
• Possible inclusion of Centre for the Community, but not to restrict retail or links into the town centre

Retail Expansion

• This should be kept as close to the town centre as possible.
• Where possible, town centre shops should be kept for retail, restricting office use and estate agents etc to non-town centre location.
• Any additional car parking should encourage town centre use.

Industrial Growth

This should be confined to the North and South industrial Estates or to sites with good vehicular access. `Greener' ways of getting to work should be investigated.

Economic Development

• Promotion of the above two estates should be a priority and publicity should be linked-promotion.
• Economic Development is closely linked with Sport, leisure, education and housing opportunities. We will not get the former if we lose the later 4 initiatives.
• Existing companies should be encouraged to promote Halesworth as well as themselves.

Affordable Housing

Also see the Housing page

• A planned programme of Affordable house building linked permanently into a `local residential qualification' to help local young families.
• A specific charity should be set up to oversee this project.
• Living space over existing shops should be encouraged and grants offered.

Sustainable Building

• A `Blue Print of Sustainability' for house building should be produced as a benchmark for *future building.

Smaller units of accommodation should be designed with `build-on rooms' in the initial plans.

• Community Energy Groups could be set up to reduce costs & waste.

It is important to consider economic sustainability as well as quality of life.