Hampshire Market Towns

The Hampshire Market Towns Project is led by the Economic Development Office at Hampshire County Council, in partnership with the South-East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and with the South-East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP). A full time Market Towns Manager, Anne Harrison, works with small rural towns, and promotes the Market Town Healthcheck (toolkit) throughout the county, helping to deliver the SEEDA Small Rural Towns funding programme and to create and develop networks of interested groups.

The Market Towns Manager also organises networking and training events for representatives of small rural towns, as well as assisting with partnership development.

The total programme is worth around £7 million over a 8 year period from 2004–2011, and Hampshire County Council works with the Hampshire Market Town Partnership to deliver around £1.2 million of this funding to Hampshire to benefit eight of its small rural towns. Work has been done in Whitehill and Bordon, Whitchurch, Stockbridge, Alresford, New Milton, Alton and Milford on Sea, and eight more are underway in Bishop's Waltham, Emsworth, Botley, Hayling Island, Petersfield, Romsey, Whitehill and Bordon and Stockbridge.

Market Town Healthchecks and Town Action Plans

Market Town Healthchecks provide a robust and structured framework by which communities can conduct a SWOT analysis on four separate but interrelated aspects of life in and around their town:

• Economy and Work,
• Environment
• Social and Community
• Transport and Accessibility

They are usually carried out by volunteers, including those from parish or town council, from towns or villages of between 2,000-20,000 people, where a number of facilities and services are available, and which draw in people from the surrounding rural areas.

A summary of the findings from the Healthcheck and consultation and participation needs to be prepared, some overall aims, or Vision for the town agreed, and an Action Plan determined. Funding and active partners then need to be sought to ensure that the projects identified in action plans can be implemented in order to achieve the Vision for the town. Securing the implementation of the Plan is usually the responsibility of the Town Partnership, which will include the Town or Parish Council and people who represent the main interests or organizations in the community.

Successes and projects resulting from the Town Plan process

Projects in Hampshire originating from Healthchecks include: provision of a business centre in Whitchurch, development of a young people’s magazine in New Milton, town centre regeneration in Whitehill and Bordon, a community cinema in Hythe and Kingsclere, development of business groups and support in Whitchurch and Alton, tourism information in Botley and an annual food festival in Stockbridge.

The Localism Act and other community planning in Hampshire

Some villages have carried out Parish Plans, prepared Village and Town Design Statements; they may be involved in Village Design Framework planning with their District Council; or larger communities may wish to carry out a Neighbourhood Plan. Find out more about Community Led Planning in Hampshire

For assistance with Parish Plans, contact the Community Development Workers at Community Action Hampshire, telephone 01962 854971. For assistance with Design Statements and Neighbourhood Planning you will need to get in touch with your district council Planning Department.

The newly passed Localism Act 2011 has introduced new community rights, which should be considered carefully and discussed initially with your local town or parish council.