A new initiative has been launched to drive economic development and help build a new era of prosperity in Felixstowe.
Felixstowe Forward was launched in April 2015, replacing and building on the achievements of its predecessor – Felixstowe Futures.
The joint venture, between Suffolk Coastal District Council, Felixstowe Town Council and Suffolk County Council, will look to work with a wide range of partners, including businesses and community groups, to tackle the town’s key challenges and bring in improvements.
The newly-appointed Felixstowe Forward Change Director, Helen Greengrass (pictured), said: “I am very excited by this opportunity. Felixstowe is a hidden gem in Suffolk, which offers something for everyone.
“I live locally, so know what a great place this is. There are a lot of good things happening in Felixstowe at the moment, which are sowing the seeds of development. I am committed to bringing people together to build on this great start.”
Felixstowe Forward is made up of a small team of four staff, based at Felixstowe Town Hall in Undercliff Road West. It will initiate, develop and co-ordinate economic and community development.
Among its aims, Felixstowe Forward will work in the heart of Felixstowe to:
- Oversee the development and delivery of further economic growth in Felixstowe to build upon its reputation as a dynamic and prosperous town, attracting inward investment to continue to enhance the town’s infrastructure;
- Seek and support new developments and projects within the town that contribute to the vitality of the town and wellbeing of residents;
- Promote Felixstowe as a high quality destination town for residents and visitors, developing the tourism offer by working with hotel and tourist attraction providers;
- Preserving and promoting the heritage of the town;
- Continue to improve the town centre and seafront trading rejuvenation;
- Support and develop an enterprise and entrepreneurship culture within Felixstowe, supporting coordinated and targeted marketing of the facilities, events and opportunities within the town; and,
- Supporting and contributing to the skills, education and employability of young people.
In a joint statement, the three supporting local authorities (Felixstowe Town Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council), said: “We are delighted to support this new initiative in Felixstowe.”
“As budgets across public services reduce and the demand for our services increases, we know that we cannot carry on working in the same way. One of the ways of improving services and making budgets stretch further is to adopt a place-based approach which supports local communities and engages in local initiatives such as Felixstowe Forward.”
“This work will ensure that the local councils and the residents and businesses in Felixstowe will be ideally placed to work together to make the most of all opportunities to make the town a better place to live, work and visit.”
Read more about Felixstowe Forward here.