Annual Action Plan 2024-2025

Great Yarmouth Borough Council launched its five-year corporate plan in 2020 and, since then, the world has changed at rapid pace. There is war in Ukraine and the Middle East, challenged relations with China, the residual impact of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, the effects of Brexit remain and there will be hugely significant general elections in the UK and North America within months. All of these events touch our lives constantly.

Meanwhile, accelerated changes in the economy and technology demonstrate the reach and positive impact Great Yarmouth Borough Council can have as we seek to support and improve the life chances and aspirations of everyone who lives and works in the borough.  It is more important than ever that as a council, working with external partners, we continue to deliver against the four strategic priority areas we identified in "The Plan 2020-2025".

These priorities are:

• a strong and growing economy
• improved Housing and strong communities
• a quality and sustainable environment
• an efficient and effective council

As we come towards the final stretch of the plan period, working with our key partners, businesses, business improvement districts and individuals across our communities, Great Yarmouth Borough Council continues to lead positive change towards our goals of producing a dynamic, vibrant economy and capitalising on the drive towards clean growth and net-zero economy.

We have successfully secured, subject to a business case, a Town Deal of £19.5m Government investment over 10 years to deliver an exciting £60m vision supporting economic regeneration, recovery, jobs and growth across the borough's main urban areas.

This was bolstered by the news we received at the end of 2023 that the Government - as part of its focus on towns - has allocated the Council an additional £20m of funding for the work we deliver in the borough.

Meanwhile, we continue to progress our plan to regenerate the North Quay after our successful Levelling Up Fund bid for £20m for this area of the town. Our ambition is the funding will help us extend, amplify and build on other major projects already planned or underway.

Our exciting vision to revitalise the town centre is focused around re-introducing more residential use, making better use of our cultural heritage and historic buildings - highlighted by the work now underway to create a stunning new £17m university campus and learning centre in the former Palmers department store in Great Yarmouth market place, in partnership with the University of Suffolk, East Coast College and Norfolk County Council.

The learning centre will complement the successful delivery of an innovative £6.3m new, greener covered market, operating at capacity with 29 stalls, activities space and events to drive town centre footfall coupled with major work to revamp and revitalise public space around the market.

The High Street Heritage Action Zone is now starting to show the benefits of innovative investments in our heritage and tourism economy, with the regeneration of 15 listed buildings and 30 heritage assets.

Planning permission has also been secured and £12m of National Lottery Heritage Fund finance announced to create an £18m package to transform the historic Grade II* listed Winter Gardens on the seafront into a "people's palace" predicted to increase visitor numbers by 300,000 a year in a nationally significant project.

And on the Golden Mile, the new £26m Marina Centre wellbeing and fitness centre is operating successfully for residents and visitors.

At the same time, we continue to demonstrate the power of working collaboratively, with our close partnerships with central Government, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Norfolk County Council bringing about a total of £240m of investment to the borough, including the third river crossing - the Herring Bridge - which opened early in 2024, and an offshore operation and maintenance campus that will confirm us as a natural base for the burgeoning offshore wind sector.

The Town Deal Board and its vision for the Borough 'Our Place is Your Stage' continues to strengthen the collective energy that exists across all our partners, from statutory agencies to voluntary, community and social enterprises, and businesses from global players to local start-ups.

We continue to deepen our strong relationships with health and social care partners including Norfolk Public Health, the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Partnership, Great Yarmouth & Waveney Place Board and the Great Yarmouth Health and Wellbeing Partnership. We are additionally supporting the James Paget University Hospital with its new state-of-the-art build and we look forward to maximising new opportunities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and a potential County Deal for Norfolk.

Detailed within this Annual Action Plan for 2024/25, are key projects and activities aligning 'The Plan' with the Council's Business Strategy. This strengthens Great Yarmouth Borough Council's ability to work strategically while continuing to deliver high-quality services to our residents. These key projects have a detailed reporting framework, with clear key performance indicators to ensure consistency of approach and accountability.

This strong sense of identity and shared vision, combined with mature evidence-based strategies and plans puts us in a unique position to deliver a place-shaping agenda, rooted in our culture and heritage while being innovative and community led.