STOCKPORT PORTAS PILOT : REVIEW This report was collated by Joe Barratt on behalf of the Portas Pilot Delivery Group Impact & outcomes The following table is based on the statements, priorities and objectives - and specific projects - contained in the original Stockport Portas Pilot application Statements, priorities and objectives Objective What was done Impact & outcome The Stockport Portas Pilot organisation will be All decisions made by the Portas Pilot group were The process that was put in place has led to the responsible for informing all partners and public communicated to council officers throughout the length Portas Pilot funding allocated to projects in an about the use of the grant, decisions made and of the Portas Pilot project, as well as to the public effective and efficient manner, while ensuring ensuring the outcomes in this application are through the group’s website, in the local media and at that the aims and objectives of each application delivered. public meetings. were delivered. The Stockport Portas Pilot organisation will be a A dedicated website was set-up to document the This website enabled the group to list details of transparent and accountable group. It will have Portas Pilot group’s progress to the general public as all tender opportunities that were available to its own web site and social media accounts as well as to display contact information. This website companies to apply for. This led to the group the principal tools for communications. was created and managed free of charge. The social receiving a number of high-quality applications media pages for Stockport Old Town on Facebook and from local businesses for the creation of the new Twitter were used by the group to promote Portas Pilot Stockport Old Town website. funded activity. STOCKPORT PORTAS PILOT : REVIEW V1 (A) The Stockport Portas Pilot initiative will make The Portas Pilot group ran a number of events to It was through one of these public meetings that use of public events, print and broadcast media engage and update the general public throughout the information was shared about the chance for locally, regionally, nationally and internationally course of the group’s existence. These meetings were local businesses to be part of the group, which to communicate with partners and the public. a chance to get the thoughts of both the public and led to new members joining the group as local businesses, which were often generally positive. representatives from the local business sector. Information about Portas Pilot initiatives and events Information about events in the area, funded by were also widely shared in the Stockport Express and the Portas Pilot, were regularly posted in the Manchester Evening news, as well TV news channels, Stockport Express, which led to an increase in including BBC News, ITV News and Sky News. footfall at the events, as a result. The Stockport Portas Pilot initiative will use Iconic locations from Stockport Old Town were used as By attracting celebrities and famous faces to iconic locations and ambassadors including the inspiration to create the new visual identity for the Stockport Old Town, we have helped promote international athletes and entertainers to launch area, which helped restore a sense of pride about the the town centre as an exciting and and celebrate projects and events. town centre in local people. contemporary destination to visit. Foodie Friday has attracted a number of famous faces Following her guest visit to Screen Stockport to Stockport Market including actor Ted Robbins, actor Film Festival, we took filmmaker Carol Morley Phil Mealey, actor Ryan Thomas, lead singer of The on guided tour of Stockport Old Town, including Courteeners, Liam Fray, and the band Blossoms. a visit to Seven Miles Out. Seven Miles Out has also hosted a number of famous The following year, she returned to promote her celebrities, including filmmaker Carol Morley, who ran book which she decided to title ‘7 Miles Out’, a Q&A session about her book ‘7 Miles Out’ along with inspired by her experiences of Stockport when her friend, the acclaimed actor Maxine Peake. she was young. The Stockport Portas Pilot organisation will The Portas Pilot group regularly shared their progress By attending a number of conferences which share practice through the ATCM and proposed with partners, including ATCM and DCLG, which led to focused on discussing innovative approaches to CLG evaluation, with Greater Manchester some of the group’s work be featured in a document town centre place-making, Chair of the Portas partners and other Town Teams. published by ATCM which explored the impact of the Pilot group, Joe Barratt, has been able to Portas Pilot at a national level. promote Stockport as a success story. STOCKPORT PORTAS PILOT : REVIEW V1 (A) The Stockport Portas Pilot organisation will find The Portas Pilot group recognised that the delivery of At these events, a number of surveys have been out what people feel about spending time (and specialist events was essential in trying to attract new conducted to assess the thoughts of visitors money) in Stockport town centre, and to visitors to the area, as well as local residents who had about the effectiveness of the event’s delivery. evaluate the outcomes for local businesses. stopped visiting the area, as the regular weekly footfall This will involve identifying perceptions as well to the Market Place was clearly decreasing. As well as providing an insight into the views of as qualitative and quantitative information. the public around the delivery of the Portas Pilot, The specialist events that the Portas Pilot funded these surveys also provided a chance to assess included the Stockport Old Town Fringe Festival, the the public’s view on the town centre and what Stockport Old Town Folk Festival, the Festive Fringe they thought was needed to improve it. the Medieval Viking Fair and Foodie Friday. The Stockport Portas Pilot organisation will The Portas Pilot group received a project application Information regarding estimated footfall, monitor the progress of the initiative using a pack for each proposal which requested access to customer views, level of participation, event range of indicators and discrete measures. Portas Pilot funds. evaluation and media coverage is all available. Using the information contained within these Information regarding vacancy levels, number of documents, the group reviewed and considered the lettings, retailer representation, car park usage impact that each project would bring to the area. We and new business start-ups are all factors which then made a decision on whether we would support the Portas Pilot have no definitive access to. the proposal, based on the aims and objectives the plans were stated to achieve. However, we believe that Stockport Council have access to these measurements and should In some cases, the group requested more detailed be able provide them to the scrutiny committee, evaluation after the completion of each project. in order to judge the potential effectiveness of the Portas Pilot. STOCKPORT PORTAS PILOT : REVIEW V1 (A) Vacancy levels According to data provided by Stockport Council, The impact of the Portas Pilot work on vacancy vacancy rates in the Old Town area have reduced by rates in the Market Place is clear, the group has 4.6% over five years, with 56 of 250 units in the area had a positive effect on reducing empty units. remaining empty at the last count. However, there is still much to be done. The Portas Pilot group estimate that vacancy rates Vacancy figures in Little Underbank and Lower around the Market Place have been reduced by Hillgate remain high, however, the interventions approximately 20% since 2012, with only 10% of that have been made by Stockport Council, available units now being empty. through the use of CPOs, will likely decrease high vacancy rates over time. Changes from retail to non-retail There have been a number of businesses who have These changes have resulted in the creation of invested in the area and changed the class of unit from a local economy which is more suited to the a retail offer to a leisure offer as a result including; consumer demands of the 21st century, with a Seven Miles Out, Hatters Coffee, The Allotment, greater emphasis placed on experiential offers Remedy Bar & Brewhouse and the Petersgate Tap. like food and drink. Commercial yields During the last rates review, the rateable value of pubs This increase in rateable value for pubs and in the Market Place increased by an average of 40%. bars in the area would have increased the commercial yield to Stockport Council by 40%. This will be, in part, as a result of the increased trade that venues have experienced over the last four years. Footfall The Portas Pilot group have access to some of this The Folk Festival attracted an estimated 10,000 information, by estimating footfall at each event, people over four days. The Fringe Festival however, we do not have technology in place to attracted an estimated 8,000 over three days determine exact footfall increases or decreases. and the Medieval Viking Festival attracted an estimated 7,000 people over two days. Foodie Instead, estimates of footfall have been used through Friday events attract an estimated 2,500 people assessing photos and videos taken at the events. each month. STOCKPORT PORTAS PILOT : REVIEW V1 (A) Event evaluation (including Feedback surveys have been conducted at most of the This survey of visitors to Foodie Friday revealed attendance figures, visitor profiles, events supported by Portas Pilot funded and result that most visitors rated Stockport town centre as reasons for attending, perceptions of mainly in positive feedback from visitors and partners. ‘Average’ (50%), followed by ‘Good’ (25.3%) and and actual experience of the centre) ‘Poor’ (17.6%).