Published: Monday, 14th October 2024
King’s Lynn’s rich heritage and history is what people like most about the town – and there is opportunity to promote these assets and stories more.
That’s the finding of consultation carried out in the summer by King’s Lynn Town Board and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk to support funding bids and inform decisions on further potential investment.
Around 1,100 people engaged in the consultation via various channels and activities including a survey which garnered 517 responses, as well as interactive workshops, drop-in sessions, and town walkabouts.
Youth engagement was a key element of the approach with The Workshop conducting 350 surveys with young people, and Collusion’s Fuse youth group taking part in a 'young reporters' workshop which saw young people carrying out research around the consultation themes.
The consultation also found that:
- With the heritage and history what people value most about King’s Lynn, the riverfront / waterfront / quayside is considered ‘the best and strongest’ aspect of King’s Lynn’s heritage;
- The town could be making more of its assets and could bring its heritage to life;
- There is a desire for a more appealing town experience, and the biggest priority for improving the appearance of the town centre is bringing back into use empty buildings and shops;
- There is a desire for a better town centre experience and a ‘thriving and vibrant’ town in the long-term;
- There is interest in funding being put towards community and sporting activities, such as a public events programme. An improved sports offering would be welcomed and there is interest in support for community and voluntary groups and projects.
Vicky Etheridge, Interim Chair of King’s Lynn Town Board said:
“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views, thoughts, and ideas in our consultation.
“We had a fantastic response, and it was particularly pleasing to see such high levels of engagement from young people, sharing ideas on how money could be invested in their town.
“The consultation has given us invaluable insight into what people value about the town, and what could be better. This feedback will help to inform the Town Board’s future vision and decisions on how potential funding could be invested. We want to continue the conversations we have started through this process.”
Councillor Alistair Beales, Leader of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk commented:
“It is absolutely vital that we work with and listen to local people so that we can shape future decisions for the town that reflect people’s needs and aspirations.
“The findings from this consultation give us a strong foundation for developing plans and projects as future government funding opportunities arise, ensuring we can bring improvements for the town that benefit local people and fulfil our shared ambitions for King’s Lynn.
“In particular, it was clear from the feedback how much people value King’s Lynn’s heritage, and significant work is already underway to enhance and maximise the potential of our historic assets. This includes in the exciting plans for the Guildhall, and in our work to create a cultural and heritage strategy for the town.
“I would like to echo my appreciation for everyone who took part in the consultation, whether through a survey, or at an event. We have heard what you’ve told us, and we will take this feedback forward into future Town Board and council activities.”
The consultation offered a variety of ways for people to have their say, including a competition for under 16s to create a picture of what they would like King’s Lynn to look like in ten years’ time. Elizabeth Allison-Meyer submitted a picture of her vision for the town and was presented with £150 in shopping vouchers by Interim Chair Vicky Etheridge.
In addition, College of West Anglia students filmed vox pops in the town to find out people’s views Long Term Plan for Towns Consultation (visionkingslynn.co.uk) And, Stories of Lynn hosted three families sessions during the summer holidays, themed around ‘the Past and Future of King’s Lynn Town’. These events allowed young people to find about the changing shape of King’s Lynn and create their own futuristic vision of the town centre.
The consultation took place to further understand local people’s aspirations for King’s Lynn, following the Government announcement in March 2024 of £20M from the Long Term Plan for Towns programme for the town. The valuable feedback has been collated and shared while further updates are awaited on next steps.
The full feedback report can be found here: long term plan for town consultation report august 2024 (visionkingslynn.co.uk)