The event was held on the 12th November 2003 at Coleg Powys, Newtown. Nineteen people attended, representing a mix of national and local organisations. Whilst one of the smaller events, this was nevertheless a diverse and creative one, because of the range of participants and their willingness to engage in a range of issues constructively and in an integrated manner. You can read the summary below.
Picture gallery
Download the full report as pdf (size 312 Kb)
Download report as Word file (size 1.5 M)
Download workshop cards as pdf (size 184Kb)
How we ran the workshops
In the morning session, there were a number of challenges to the zoning of the area, which was designated pink in the Plan, suggesting similar characteristics to Cardigan Bay.
This Pink Zone typology was not generally accepted. For example, while Aberystwyth is seen as the regional centre, which accommodates the knowledge economy, East Powys has more cross border issues and has more limited educational opportunities. There were doubts expressed about the practical value of the coloured zoning if it did not reflect the characteristics of the area accurately, and did not relate to administrative boundaries. (This echoed some of the issues raised in Cardigan Bay).
The sustainability matrix and zonal attributes produced lively discussion, particularly around population changes and work patterns. Young people were leaving, while at the same time others are moving in to the area, often across boundaries to take advantage of lower property prices. People could, for example, work from home several days and make occasional trips to towns. Most commercial linkages are east-west, and generally cross-border relationships are important.
Discussions and prioritisation of cards produced themes to address issues raised earlier in the day: the need for affordable housing; and to retain and attract skilled people for tourism and other industries; added value work on products that currently go across the border to England; economic development, particularly enhanced technology systems and support for the knowledge economy.
The more detailed discussions on implementation identified tasks, blockages and in all cases the need for co-ordinated action by agencies already involved in existing programmes. This grouping appeared to demonstrate a strong existing basis for collaborative action, possibly through Mid Wales Partnership
Comments