Questionnaires have been produced asking people to ‘have their say’ on a draft document that looks at the future of Great Yarmouth.  The draft Sustainable Community Strategy sets the scene for a vibrant and prosperous Great Yarmouth and makes some suggestions for the entire community to consider and respond to in order to develop a sense of ownership of the final document.  Once the results of the survey are incorporated into the final document it can then 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 full strategy document, a summary and questionnaire are available on the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and Great Yarmouth Borough Council websites, local CLIP offices and at static displays situated at:

   - Great Yarmouth Library
   - Cobholm & Lichfield Resource Centre
   - The Priory
   - Gt. Yarmouth Town Hall
   - ComeUnity Office King Street
   - Community Connections, Southtown Road
   - St James’ Resource Centre
   - Gorleston Library

There are also three special public consultation meetings being held at:

• 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 consultation concludes on 29 February 2008.

Councillor Barry Coleman, the Chairman of the LSP, 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.

“The strategy must reflect the views, concerns, priorities, wishes and aspirations of the whole community and be firmly based on evidence of local needs” explained   Councillor Coleman. “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 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.

Note to Editors:

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

For further information contact:

Tim Leonard LSP Executive  01493 333372

Trish Aydin Community Connections01493 656372

Paul Cheeseman Gt Yarmouth Voluntary Sector Partnership01493 845925

David Stannard LSP Consultant 01493 846473