Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sands)

Report of the Head of Regeneration & Planning

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sands)

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Regeneration & Planning which provided an update on the outcomes of a brand engagement exercise.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1 was the officer preferred option. Creating a relevant and up-to-date brand development plan was a major undertaking but was essential if the significant benefits arising out of developments such as Lancaster Castle and the Canal Corridor were to be fully captured. The appetite for partners to work together to develop and deliver this was also there.

The future growth of the district’s economy would rely heavily on the perception of the area in the eyes of potential investors and visitors.  Previous research has shown that the reputation and image of the district did not reflect the true quality of the area and the offer available.

Major regeneration initiatives were planned for the next five years. To gain the maximum benefits from this investment, a wide range of complementary activities were required ranging from (for example) physical intervention in upgrading the public realm through to “softer” measures such as interpretation and marketing. It was essential that these latter activities were guided by a strong and clear brand and were delivered in a co-ordinated and consistent way.

The brand engagement exercise had brought a wide range of partners together to consider the nature of our district as a visitor and inward investment destination. This in turn had been tested with consumers both locally and from outside the district. The exercise had not only offered information on the approach to be taken to sell our district to visitors and potential investors but also brought together partners who would be keen to work alongside us in developing an implementation plan to ensure Lancaster District’s reputation and image did reflect the true quality of the offer available and that our economy achieves maximum benefits achievable via inward investment and leisure tourism.

      The next steps were to work with those partners to develop a draft implementation plan for consideration by Cabinet.  This would include developing visitor facing creatives, branding toolkit, marketing and delivery plans. Whilst a precise timetable for completion of an implementation plan could not be provided at this stage, it would be a priority area of work for the council and any proposed implementation plans, once developed, would be fed back into Cabinet in a timely manner to inform budget setting and planning. 

Councillor Sands proposed, seconded by Councillor Leytham:-

“(1)      That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)                    That Cabinet endorse the findings of the brand engagement exercise as the basis for preparing a brand development plan for Lancaster District.

(2)                    That officers work with partners to prepare the brand development plan for future Cabinet consideration/approval.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Head of Regeneration & Planning

Reasons for making the decision:

The development of our economy relating to inward investment and opportunities arising from our outstanding culture, heritage, entertainment offer, coastline and outstanding natural landscapes is set out as one of the Council’s current four core priorities.  Given the City Council’s challenging financial outlook, it is imperative that any future development plans for branding are considered as an integral part of the Council’s annual corporate planning and budgeting exercise, to inform future visioning, priority setting and resource allocation, given the Council’s many competing demands.