The Sustainable Community Strategy is a plan for the future of Great Yarmouth, both the urban and rural areas, to guide their development over the next few years.  Since the first such plan, the 2020 Vision was developed in 1997, and revised in 2003, much has changed in Great Yarmouth. This new strategy takes account of those changes.

Based on three main themes:

   - A Prosperous and Dynamic Economy
   - A Clean and Safe Environment
   - A Healthy and Cohesive Community

The strategy identifies the key strengths, and of course challenges, which will face Great Yarmouth in this exciting period of change. Councillor Barry Coleman, the Chairman of the Local Strategic Partnership, which has devised the strategy, has called for a widespread community consultation to ensure that the Sustainable Community Strategy effectively serves the community for which it has been developed.

He says: “The strategy must reflect the views, concerns, priorities, wishes and aspirations of the whole community and be firmly based on evidence of local needs. This draft document seeks to set the scene and make some suggestions for the entire community to consider, respond and develop a sense of ownership of the final document. It can then to go forward into the negotiation process to direct public funding on a borough-wide basis to where Great Yarmouth needs it most.”

Copies of the Community Summary and full strategy document are available on the LSP and Great Yarmouth Borough Council websites, whilst static displays giving further information will be available from Monday January 14 at:

   - Great Yarmouth Town Hall
   - Great Yarmouth Library
   - Gorleston Library
   - Community Connections, Electra House Southtown Road
   - ComeUnity Office, 143 King St. The Priory, Priory Plain
   - Cobholm & Lichfield Health & Resource Centre
   - St James’ Health & Resource Centre
   - The Priory

Questionnaires asking people to ‘have their say’ can be collected from all these locations and other CLIP offices across the Borough, whilst Community Connections and the Voluntary Sector Partnership at the ComeUnity office will be delighted to assist anyone wanting help to complete them.

The consultation period will last for six weeks including three special public consultation meetings, which will be held at strategic points across the Borough as follows:

   - Martham Village Hall   Monday February 4 2008 at 6:30pm
   - Magdalen Methodist Church Tuesday February 5 at 10am
   - The Priory Community Trust Friday February 8 at 12 noon

The results of the consultation and the final document will be fed back to the community at The Great Yarmouth People Community Event, which will be held on Saturday March 15 at the Marina Centre.

Councillor Coleman concluded. “By undertaking this widespread consultation of the community the many partners of the Local Strategic Partnership can be confident that this new strategy will identify a real ‘sense of place’ for Great Yarmouth. On this basis the LSP will be leading the way in approaching the local area agreement negotiation on a firmly held basis in order to secure significant funding from the Government for the people of Great Yarmouth.”

The negotiation process will conclude in June 2008.

For further information contact:

Tim Leonard - LSP Executive - 01493 333372

Trish Aydin - Community Connections - 01493 656372

Paul Cheeseman - Gt Yarmouth Voluntary Sector Partnership - 01493 845925

David Stannard - LSP Consultant - 01493 846473