An exciting and ambitious vision for the future of Barrow has been unveiled by the team tasked with delivering transformational change in the town.
Team Barrow, which is a partnership between the Government, Westmorland and Furness Council and BAE Systems, outlines in its 10-year Plan for Barrow how it will improve the lives and livelihoods of the community and its residents – both present and future.
The Government’s long-term commitment to the UK’s submarine programme has further underlined Barrow’s importance to national defence and security, and this is expected to create thousands of new jobs, both at BAE Systems and within the town’s other businesses and industries.
As a result, Barrow’s population is forecast to grow significantly over the next decade.
To enable this growth and ensure the town continues to deliver critical UK defence programmes, Team Barrow, which is supported by £220m of Government investment and whose board is chaired by former Cabinet Secretary Dr Simon Case, will target improvements in housing, transport, health care, education and skills, town centre, and economic growth and diversification.
These activities will sit under three key themes:
- Town centre and housing;
- Public service reform;
- Creating the conditions for growth.
The plan can be read on Team Barrow’s website, www.barrowrising.uk, and a programme of engagement has been organised to provide members of the public with the opportunity to learn more, meet the team delivering it and offer feedback.
“We’re excited to launch this plan and look forward to engaging with the community, to share our ambitions and listen to residents’ views and opinions,” said Peter Anstiss, the Chief Executive of Team Barrow.
“The town has rightly received lots of praise and recognition lately, and this points to a very positive future.
“But to deliver this we must tackle a number of long-standing issues, by providing improved housing and transport infrastructure, while also addressing social and health inequalities, to ensure everyone can connect to the opportunities in Barrow.
“We know these are the areas which the community and future residents will want to see tackled and that’s why we’ve prioritised them in our plan.”
The transformation of the town centre is one of these priorities and Team Barrow has agreed to support this as one of its major capital projects. This decision led to Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet agreeing not to progress with its current plans for the town centre, in favour of a more ambitious programme of work.
In March, Team Barrow also announced a package of support worth at least £5m to help boost education in the town’s primary and secondary schools, called the Brilliant Futures Fund.
This followed the launch of a £5m Social Impact Fund earlier in the year, which has already seen nine local charities and community organisations awarded grants worth a total of £650,000.
Mr Anstiss added: “These early interventions are really important, not just in providing valuable help and support, but in building belief and confidence that positive change is coming.
“This is a long-term programme and we’re confident that we have a plan and a vision that will match the ambitions of the community and deliver lasting benefits for generations to come.”
On Thursday, 10 July members of the public are invited to an open drop-in session at The Bridge, in Portland Walk, between 9am and 12 noon, as well as on Saturday, 19 July, between 10am and 12 noon. Copies of the plan will be available and members of the team will be on hand to speak to. Additional community outreach activity is also planned and dates and times will be communicated in due course.