Towns' Fund - Supporting Connected Coastal Towns

Government's investment

In 2019, 100 towns across the UK were selected to bid for up to £25 million investment from the government’s Towns Fund. Aimed at increasing economic growth, each town had to provide a Town Investment Plan with a focus on tangible regeneration, improved transport, digital connectivity, and skills and training projects.

Community Engagement 

Engagement and local buy-in with project and community stakeholders was essential to developing the plan and achieving match-funding, promotion and support for each town’s bid. At times challenging during COVID-19 restrictions, Heta lead a process that involved synthesising the outputs of various engagement platforms including digital suggestion boards, symposiums, social media, town halls, project consultation. also created ‘Engagement Storyboards’, which were printed and shared with the community groups and displayed publicly. Working with our client groups, we developed the language, tone, look and feel and visuals for each town. For coastal towns Mablethorpe and Skegness, this reflected the nostalgia of vintage graphics and advertising from the area, with a focus on wellness and modern twists such as new technologies and wind turbines; while for Boston, entries from a local photography competition were paired with digital graphics, connecting to its focus on skills and training. This work resonated with various stakeholders, inspiring them to take part in the development of the investment opportunities available and support each Town Investment Plan.

Planning & Development 

Building on in-depth local research and engagement, a wide range of town-specific projects were identified by various stakeholders throughout the process. Heta worked with the project team to develop, visualise and articulate strategic links between local context and need. Opportunities, projects, and investment were brought together in a clear narrative for the bid using visually enticing documentation to engage Government, Towns Fund Board members, investors and the local public. 

Town Strategies

The driving vision and strategy was individual and tailored to each town, ensuring that there was a clear localised story and response. The projects themselves, based on public feedback and board selection, aligned to the government’s intervention framework, each outlined as catalysts for local improvement and regeneration, economic growth and the ability to unlock opportunities to deliver ongoing improvement.  

Boston: With a rich history as a key UK port and a strong future in agriculture, logistics and Agri-tech, the Boston Town Investment Plan focused on skills and enterprise, digital connectivity, health and regeneration to evolve Boston’s strengths with the support of its impressive network of assets and institutions.  

Mablethorpe: As part of a ‘Connected Coast’ strategy along the Lincolnshire shoreline, the strategy for Mablethorpe leverages its location and natural assets to improve health and wellness, resilience and the local visitor economy, promoting opportunities in the town centre and along the sea.

Skegness: Home of the original Butlins and an iconic British seaside destination, the visitor economy is pivotal to Skegness. The strategy, therefore, was to enhance this and promote further education and enterprise to diversify the town offering, lengthening the season and increasing ongoing investment.