Rural Regeneration

     

From the rolling downs and woodland of the north to the open vistas of the Romney Marsh and Dungeness in the south, rural Shepway is a place of great variety.

Home to 37,000 people and covering more than 75% of the district, the issues facing our countryside are as varied as the landscape. This means that at Shepway District Council we work with partners, communities and individuals in many ways to improve local quality of life - sometimes as a leader and at other times very much in a supporting role.

There has been a long history of “rural regeneration” work locally, particularly on Romney Marsh through the former Kent Rural Development Area (RDA), but also on the Downs where the White Cliffs Countryside Project has just celebrated 15 years of landscape, wildlife and recreational work.

Our approach to this work balances action to tackle social and economic need with protection and enhancement of the countryside. The following are just some of the projects that are taking place in Rural Shepway:

The Hawkinge Partnership

As lead partner the Council secured £2.5 million over seven years to run this pilot scheme – one of only 35 nationally and the only one in Kent – in partnership with local people. By basing service provision on what local people say they need - rather than on what service providers think is best - the scheme aims to help Hawkinge grow into a vibrant new community.

Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is a problem in the country as well as in towns and we have been working with Kent Police, the County Council and the Shepway Community Safety Unit to introduce rural wardens in Lydd, Hawkinge, Elham, Dymchurch, and Capel-le-Ferne. Wardens are also to be established elsewhere, including New Romney, while powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 are already being used in some of these areas. For example, part of Hawkinge has been declared an anti-social behaviour dispersal zone.

Supporting Community Action

We spend much time helping local groups to “do the things they want to do”. While offering advice on funding sources like Awards for All, Local Network Fund and the Big Lottery Fund, we also guide groups and individuals towards specialist helper organisations, such as Action with Communities in Rural Kent, CASE-Kent. (Community Action South East Kent) and Shepway Volunteer Centre. The Council has also supported organisations such as “Marsh Forward”, the Market Town Partnership for the Romney Marsh. Marsh Forward’s work has included promoting the week-long Marsh Festival and the Looker’s Pie local food and heritage project.

Environment

The Council has funded and worked with the White Cliffs and Romney Marsh Countryside Projects for more than 15 years. During this time the projects have worked tirelessly to manage habitats, improve enjoyment and understanding of the countryside, running volunteer tasks, guided walks and children’s Green Gang events. We are also a partner in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership and work with the partnership to implement the Kent Downs Management Plan. More recently Kent Wildlife Trust has taken a bigger role in our district through its management of the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre.

Economy

Our approach to economic development in rural Shepway is based on supporting:

• An adequate supply of land and buildings for business growth
• Projects that increase the skills of local people and businesses
• Provision of specialist advice through agencies such as Business Link Kent
• Rural tourism based on the District’s built and natural heritage
• Farm diversification

Key projects include:

• Mountfield Road Industrial Estate, New Romney
• Mid-Kent Leader+
• Romney Resource Centre and South Kent College’s outreach training at the Old School, New Romney
• The White Cliffs and Romney Marsh Countryside Projects’ rural tourism work and the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre
• The Enterprise Gateway at New Romney

The future:

Big changes are taking place in the ways in which we work in the countryside, including:

• The publication of the Government’s new Rural Strategy which will lead to the creation of a new rural agency - “Natural England” – and new funding arrangements for social, economic and environmental work

Because of this and other changes we are looking at a new approach to rural regeneration throughout the district, which will be based on re-assessing rural needs and identifying new opportunities and partners to improve quality of life, prosperity and the environment.