Building Back Better – in Coalville September 1St 2020
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Building Back Better – in Coalville September 1st 2020 Summary Coalville C.A.N Communities and Neighbours C.B.S (Coalville C.A.N) with TH!NK FC are looking for partners across the built environment, community building, philanthropy and fundraising sectors to help set the standard for community led development in Coalville, an ex-industrial town in the heart of the country. Through a sustainable, empowering asset-based model, this project enables the community to take ownership of local spaces to provide what the community wants, including affordable accommodation combined with spaces to work and play, all owned and managed locally. The Coalville project is a place-based approach with several buildings being considered, each will need to be financially independent, and work together around the overarching wellbeing theme within the concept of a circular economy and generating its own, sustainable community wealth. Coalville in Context • Coalville is a town of approximately 45,000 population in the Centre of the UK. A history of coalmining still shapes the legacy of the town. The town is proud of its sense of community, mining and engineering heritage and today still has a larger than typical manufacturing and logistics sector. The population represents a good mix of ages and is mainly white British. • The local economy reflects the past industrial heritage, a major logistics hub and being between other more prosperous towns and the three cities of the East Midlands. The birth of the colliery town led to allied industries and over the years many of these have gone including Palitoy of Action Man and Star Wars fame, though Aggregate Industries remain, and has meant the maintenance of the railway line with its potential to open for passengers. Food manufacture is a prominent industry and in 2016 Amazon opened a large “19 football field” sized fulfilment centre and has become a key local employer. • The retail centre has struggled. There are current plans for regeneration, most notably a North West Leicestershire District Council public realm and market scheme around Marlborough Square and upgrades to an independently owned shopping centre. Coalville has a relatively high number of independent shops, mainly due to a lack of interest from the national chains than the vibrance of the local independent sector. House prices in Coalville are typically 85% of the Leicestershire average, there are a number of areas ranking in the top quartile of areas of multiple deprivation indices. About TH!NK FC TH!NK FC, a Co-operative Community Interest Company is acting as the catalyst supporting the creation and development of Coalville C.A.N. TH!NK FC works alongside local individuals and connects the different elements of the project, including bringing in key partners and funders and sharing relevant tools and approaches. TH!NK FC works to develop self-belief and intends to create the ‘how to’ handbook for sharing with others. 1 | P a g e Asset-Based Community Development Model in Coalville • There have been many years of ‘interventions’ in communities that haven’t worked. Many of the current approaches do not develop the capacity of those ‘worked with’ and focus instead on finding people ‘in need’ and helping them. Approaches that might enable a community to have genuine control fail at the first hurdle due to the lack of financial assets, networks and capacity. • With absent landlords, expensive rents, restrictive planning rules, unfair business rates, a lack of trust and confidence in the local authority and a general lack of collaboration the odds are stacked high against the community succeeding. • Our model includes setting up Coalville C.A.N as a Community Benefit Society (C.B.S) which will take on assets of local value, typically spaces that are not in use or where closure is planned. Then, hold these in perpetuity for the community with the aim of using the spaces and places to create long term community sustainability and wellbeing. • Coalville C.A.N will hold the contractual relationships, pool risks and provide services. It will support the development of new community projects and enterprises and enable the community to direct how money is spent, helping to create prosperity. It will support the re- imagining of the local town and high street – building on what is strong not what is wrong. • With this infrastructure in place, local entrepreneurship can be harnessed and the community empowered to decide and run its own projects that will stimulate the economy and give people places and activities to enjoy and take part and pride in. • The surplus left from each enterprise, after reinvestment and contingency needs, will then be pooled into Coalville Community Wealth Fund, offering unrestricted income to spend on further developments and projects. • Our measure of success will include results of wellbeing surveys, including our base line survey; the numbers of jobs and social enterprise created and the number of buildings in community ownership and locally run activities. By 2030 it is expected that the model will be clearly evidenced with a positive vibe about Coalville and a visit to the town would be quite different than it is today. • It is important that the learning and the methods can be shared with other towns like Coalville. Sharing the Coalville C.A.N asset based model will mean the results might look different in other places due to their own particular strengths and needs even though the principles and methods shared may be the same. • These methods will enable our communities to develop the resilience needed to respond to Brexit, Covid and climate change. However, first the playing field needs to be levelled through investment, showing people it is possible, and unlocking the entrepreneurship, strengths and skills of the local community and giving them the chance to make it happen for themselves. 2 | P a g e The Coalville Buildings (See images and projections on pages 5-6) There are currently four projects encapsulating seven ‘buildings’ integrated into a powerful positive change for Coalville. Places to generate local pride and self-belief; places to bring back confidence. A ‘destination’ of choice for visitors to come into Coalville. Each project stands by itself and none are reliant on the success of another. However, together, phased over a period, with support from owners, stakeholders, the community, investors and funders the project could become an example of best practice and transformational community reform in the country. • Marlborough Square – includes the Belvoir Road Old Co-operative Store, empty, owned by Central England Cooperative with whom Coalville C.A.N. has entered into negotiations. Plus the Art Deco Rex Cinema (foyer) • Route 52 – includes the Old Market Hall under the stewardship of the NWLD Council and Bridge Road Superstore site (2.4 acres) recently vacated by Central England Cooperative with whom Coalville C.A.N. has entered into negotiations. Route 52 also includes the potential new community run Coalville Railway station. • Coalville Centre – town centre building offered to Coalville C.A.N. at a community rate • Belvoir Shopping Centre – although not part of a community purchase the community are interested in working in partnership on meanwhile use with private retail use landlords With Everyone Pulling Together in Ten Years… • Marlborough Square – will become a mixed community and retail offer with co working and enterprise start-ups as well as affordable accommodation on the upper floors. The Rex Cinema Foyer, with restored Art Deco features will be open for weddings, small conferences, pop up cinema and be used by the community daily. • Route 52 – will offer: The Old Market Hall providing a destination events venue – mixing commercial gigs and large-scale activities with regular weekly activities imagined, trialled and led by local people. The Bridge Road superstore site will have an urban activity and learning centre, making, craft & workshop and tool sharing spaces with a community café and hub. Affordable eco housing, an eco-hotel, innovative landscaping and a renewable energy generation project will make this an exciting space to live and visit. The reopened Ivanhoe Passenger Railway Line has its community owned and run railway station bringing visitors into Coalville. It will be recognised as the gateway to the National Forest and a key part of the national cycle way network. • Coalville Centre – will have a new Co-op store, leased from the community with a cooperative and enterprise training centre above, with supported accommodation and jobs for residents. • Belvoir Shopping Centre – will become a creative hub, with artists ‘popping up’ in its empty shops, and local school children sharing their talents - a must visit shopping centre to expect the unexpected. Five Years Further On… the Coalville Carnival is a major annual event attracting visitors into the town. Over fifty community projects and enterprises have been created focused on the local 3 | P a g e economy and community. The Coalville Community Wealth Fund has seeded another renewable energy project using the old mines and provides most of Coalville’s energy needs. By 20 Years all the patient investors have their funds back. The wealth fund projections now increase exponentially, investing into new buildings and enterprises. Funders are looking to Coalville as an exemplar of how to invest their funds for greater impact. Coalville is a major centre of eco-tourism. Crime, health and deprivation measures now are better than the national averages. Coalville is a place of choice to live in. In Total – The Benefits of Community Ownership Has Enabled : • A Coalville Community Wealth Fund worth generating over £1 million after 25 years • 12 good quality jobs directly working for the C.B.S. and an anticipated 50 jobs full time and permanent jobs within the project • Increased footfall in Coalville town centre • Over 40 new beds offering affordable accommodation, including for those at risk of homelessness • Integrating work, apprenticeship and enterprise opportunities for young people with local businesses • Increased local spending power as 75% of all spend 75% is local.