Ramsgate Future – join the conversation

Thanet District Council will launch a major initiative next week seeking views on how Ramsgate can be improved for the benefit of all its residents and businesses.  The council will be working with a range of partners to develop an investment plan that supports a thriving town centre and benefits all its communities. 

The Ramsgate Future plan, announced in February, will seek to align with and build upon other programmes, including the Future High Street Fund bid (FHSF) and the Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) programme.  In addition, it will support Thanet District Council’s Levelling Up Funding Bid for Ramsgate. 

Pleydell Smithyman Limited, an independent specialist consultancy which led the Margate Town Deal engagement, has been commissioned to deliver a programme of community and stakeholder engagement to help shape the investment plan.  This will ensure that the long term vision for Ramsgate considers the priorities of local people and reflects the changes they would like to see. 

A key part of developing the investment plan is engagement with a wide range of stakeholders and the community, which will sit alongside the feedback gathered last year in response to the port and harbour feasibility study.

To launch this process, stakeholders from the business and community sector in Ramsgate have been invited to a launch event next week to hear about the plans for engagement.

A wider programme of online and COVID-19 secure face to face stakeholder and community engagement will then follow which will be open to all Ramsgate residents. 

 Cabinet Member for Ramsgate’s Regeneration, Cllr Rick Everitt, said: “Listening to the people who live in, work in and visit Ramsgate is an important part of developing a strategy for the future of the town. Ensuring we understand local priorities will mean we can prepare an investment plan which reflects local views and focuses on the things that matter most. This is an exciting opportunity for Ramsgate and I’d encourage people to get involved.”

Feedback received will be used to help develop the Ramsgate Future Investment Plan, which will shape future investment through a range of projects across the town.