Celebrate-on- Sea Putting the fun back into Clacton! 2 Contents Introduction Clacton Today: The Potential for Change Creating a 21st Century Resort: Changing the Image of Clacton Hello Future: The Overall Plan Putting the Fun Back into Clacton: Key Projects Clacton’s Unique: Marketing and Branding Strategy The Future Starts Now: The Action Plan Clacton: A new future 3 ‘Nice places to live and work particularly by the sea are inevitably nice places to visit’‘Nice places to live and work particularly by the sea are inevitably nice places to visit’ Developed by: Introduction Since its Victorian heyday Clacton-on-Sea has been famous as a place for fun, entertainment and relaxation, but changes in the tourist market and declining visitor numbers have meant the image of the town has changed and some of the fun has gone. Now it is time to put the fun back into Clacton and build the foundations for a more successful future 6 Clacton: A New Future Clacton has the capacity to reinvent a place where people will choose to live, resort’ offering a mix of contemporary itself as a truly 21st century resort work and visit. and traditional family leisure activities offering a high quality all year round with a vibrant evening economy and visitor experience, building on the many conference opportunities. Our focus assets of the town - its heritage, new Our vision is on the people who will use it, the investment such as DONG Energy, experience they will have when they attractive open spaces, local enterprise The delivery of wider regeneration visit the seafront and the memories they and good transport connections and and prosperity is a key priority for the take away. It is also about improving above all - the seafront. The next step Council and INTend in making Tendring pedestrian linkages from the seafront is to consider how to take advantage of a better place to live and work and the to the town centre and station through these excellent assets to improve the transformation of the Clacton seafront better signage and lighting - so the image of the town, driving it forward is central to delivering the wider experience starts as soon as the visitor and making it more successful and regeneration of the town. The proposals arrives. It is about reviving the fun and attractive. build on the Clacton Town Centre Vision laughter associated with Clacton by and the work being undertaken by the creating a high quality and distinctive This document sets out proposals for Council in preparing the Core Strategy seafront which along with effective the transformation of Clacton seafront, which will guide development over the branding and marketing will create new focussing on the area around Pier Gap next 15 years. business and investment opportunities Gateway. The proposals have been and ensure Clacton is recognised as a prepared by Tendring District Council Tourism and leisure development brand in its own right and placed firmly and its regeneration company INTend, is seen as the springboard for the back on the visitor map. working with architects Broadway renaissance of Tendring’s Coastline. The Malyan and award-winning designers Tourism Strategy 2010-2016 sets out The overarching aim is to use the Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway an ambitious programme to transform seafront as a catalyst to drive forward MBE, following consultation with key the tourism offer and appeal of the the transformation and regeneration of stakeholders, local residents and District and to reposition it as a major the town. The key principle is to put the businesses and visitors to the town. tourism destination, reduce seasonality fun back into Clacton by celebrating The proposals have been developed and grow the local economy through the seafront- creating a high quality within the context of the Tendring increasing employment in tourism and and distinctive area which will create Core Strategy and the Draft Clacton visitor spend. The proposals set out in new opportunities for the town, local Town Centre Area Action Plan and this document represent the next step in businesses and residents. The overall demonstrate the commitment of the taking forward the objectives set out in objective is to generate a critical mass of Council to promoting the regeneration the Tourism Strategy. activity that is deliverable and distinctive of the town and maximising the whilst at the same time, creating a high opportunities presented by the seafront. Our vision is to reinvent Clacton as a quality destination with a strong sense The focus is on changing the image and 21st Century resort offering high quality of place and good connections with perception of Clacton and creating a experiences and facilities for the local the wider area. The aim is to revitalise high quality and distinctive destination- community and visitors- ‘a year-round Clacton through a comprehensive Clacton: A new future 7 Clacton: A New Future programme of key initiatives which seek of the town and local community. This study presents a number to: These comments have informed the of detailed proposals and development of the proposals set out recommendations for the rejuvenation • Create a distinctive destination and in this document and demonstrate a of Clacton Seafront area. The document a unique Clacton brand significant level of commitment which follows the following format: • Encourage investment in new must be built on in the future to ensure development and improvements to that the community is fully engaged in Section 1 Introduction sets out the the seafront taking proposals forward. aims and objectives • Create new business and tourism opportunities Outline of document Section 2 ‘Clacton Today’ focuses • Improve pedestrian links between on Clacton as it is today and provides the station, town centre and the The proposals provide a framework for an overarching analysis of the existing seafront sustainable change and a shared plan situation focussing on the seafront’s • Enrich the existing character of the of action and seek to create a distinctive assets seafront and the town’s cultural place based on fun, celebration, heritage motivation, activity and a shared Section 3 ‘Creating a 21st Century • Phase proposals to make best use belief in the future of the town and Resort’ examines the opportunities for of available funding and investment opportunities for all. Several zones of reinventing Clacton and the key themes • Promote a new image for the town activity have been identified along with a underpinning the proposals for Pier Gap number of key projects to transform the appearance of the seafront which will Section 4 ‘Hello Future’ sets out the Partnership Working be delivered through close partnership overall plans and proposals which form and Consultation working between the Council, other the key elements that will drive change public sector bodies, developers, and deliver regeneration in Clacton Partnership working has been central local businesses and the community. to the development of these proposals. Key to the success of the proposals Section 5 ‘Putting the Fun Back A public exhibition was held in June will be a robust delivery plan and a into Clacton’ outlines the key projects 2010 which generated significant programme of measures to change the which will transform the seafront interest and highlighted key issues of image of Clacton such as celebrating concern to residents, businesses and local food and people, an extended Section 6 ‘Clacton’s Unique’ outlines visitors - in particular, the need to tackle ‘year round’ events programme and the approach to rebranding and anti-social behaviour and improve improved marketing and branding. This marketing Clacton-on-Sea to a wider safety; the requirement for better public document provides the platform for this audience facilities, signage and information; the important delivery mechanism. need for improved connections with the Section 7 ‘The Future Starts Now’ town and better access for all to the focuses on delivery and sets out an seafront; the importance of marketing Action Plan for taking forward the vision and the need to build on the strengths and proposals for the seafront Clacton today The potential for change 9 Clacton isoffers a place huge of potential huge potential - a rich - aheritage, rich heritage, a committed a committed community community and a andwealth a wealth of natural of natural assets. assets. The challenge The challengeis how to respondis how to to respond market tochanges market changesand build onand these build assetson these to createassets to createa new imagea new andimage appeal and appealto a wider to a wideraudience audience as a place as a toplace live, to visit live, and visit andinvest invest. 10 Clacton: A New Future A Strategic Location people live in the Haven Gateway sub- relation to the internationally significant region, which contains the regional cities Haven Ports (principally Felixstowe, Located within the Haven Gateway of Ipswich, which has 20 percent of Harwich and Ipswich), its market and Growth Area, Tendring is a dynamic the population and is Haven Gateway’s coastal towns and its high-quality district with many opportunities for largest functional urban economy, and rural hinterland. The Haven Gateway future growth. The sub-region is one Colchester, which contains 15 percent is gearing up for substantial economic of the key international gateways to the of population. The increasing links with and housing growth over the next two UK. Its growth and infrastructure are London are a feature of the economic decades. therefore of national significance to the flows within and across the gateway. well-being of the UK economy. 740,000 The sub-region is also defined in Strategic Context Clacton: A new future 11 Tendring has been growing rapidly Colchester, the East of England and However, like many traditional seaside for the past two decades and the London and has a number of natural resorts in the UK, Clacton has faced population of 146,000 is forecast to assets such as good quality beaches, decline and has not kept pace with grow to 172,000 by 2025.