Chief Executive of Worcester City Council joins our High Streets debate in May

The Chief Executive of Worcester City Council, David Blake will join our 'Future High Streets and City Centres 2021' forum in May and will be talking about the comprehensive masterplan for the city centre extending to the 2040's, which provides a planning framework to guide both public and private investment.

The masterplan will create a successful and growing Cathedral and University city, with more homes, businesses and jobs, a city with high quality tourist, education and retail attractions, and a place that maintains its 'city in the country' feel, its valued heritage assets and environmental quality.

It defines key development schemes and public realm improvement projects that can have a transformational impact upon Worcester city centre. The proposals within this masterplan have the potential to produce the following:

- £385 million additional GVA per year once fully developed

- Eight historic buildings brought back into economic use

- 3,243 new homes proposed

- 8,610 new jobs created

-£0,7 million of savings for the NHS per year through healthier lifestyles

- Nine new parks, squares and public spaces and

- 14 kilometres of new cycle infrastructure

Last year, Worcester was one of 101 towns across the UK to be given the opportunity to create a Town Investment Plan (TIP), making a compelling pitch for the funding.

The Worcester Towns Fund Board which comprises fourteen local organisations , has proactively engaged with residents and businesses over the past year to get a broad range of local views to support the development of vision for Worcester and agree on potential projects that the funding could support.

An important focus for the town has been to increase heritage tourist numbers through promoting the national profile of The Commandery, a historic site whose story is central to the ending of the English Civil War, modernising the story of the Worcester Soldier at the City Museum and Art Gallery, using it as a catalyst for learning abut democracy and conflict resolution. The aim is to raise the quality of the interpretation at the Guildhall, one of the most beautiful civic buildings in England while providing a new arts exhibition space in the city centre.

Worcester was also awarded £17.9 million from the government's Future High Streets Fund in December 2020 for the northern end of the city, which will enable the re-opening of the restored Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange, as well as providing new homes..