St Austell BID 3rd Term Consultation 2022
St Austell Business Improvement District (BID)
Third term Consultation 2023-2028
Please respond by Friday 5th August 2022
Tell us what you think?
Thank you to all our businesses for their contributions to our town, whether that be through the BID levy or by giving their time, skills, knowledge or expertise to St Austell BID during the last ten years. Together, we have successfully delivered projects and services to raise the profile of our town, host events to increase footfall, reduce anti-social behaviour and support our businesses and wider community.
St Austell BID’s second term finishes on 31st March 2023 but can be renewed subject to a new business plan being published and a ballot held where every levy paying business has a vote. Ahead of this process, we want to hear from all our levy paying businesses.
Your feedback and ideas will inform a new five-year business plan to be published in October 2022 ahead of a ballot in November/December 2022, where you will have the chance to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the continuation of the BID. For the BID to proceed to a third term, there must be a majority voting in favour by number and by rateable value.
Please do tell us what you think and how we can support your business and our town.
How We Will Use Your Data
Please note that the information you provide will be kept confidential and individual responses will remain anonymous unless you tell us we can publish a testimonial from you. Feedback will be summarised and used for the purpose of preparing the third term business plan. Giving your business name allows us to understand the view of levy payers from different sectors, business sizes and areas within the BID boundary as well as ensuring we have the correct contact details so you have the right to vote later in the year.
This question requires an answer
1. Business Name (required so we can summarise feedback from a range of businesses by size/sector and area of St Austell BID) *
OUR VISION FOR ST AUSTELL BID 2023 - 2028
‘To encourage visitors and business investors into St Austell Town Centre through making it more attractive, accessible, safer, better promoted and vibrant by working collaboratively with local businesses and other key organisations to drive forward improvements and seek additional funding’
2. Do you agree with this vision?
PROPOSED BID PROJECTS AND SERVICES FOR THE THIRD TERM
THEME 1 – SAFE & SECURE
It’s clear from what you have said so far, you really appreciate the professionalism of our security team and the great work they do in tacking anti-social behaviour which has really changed the perception of St Austell town centre and made it a safer place to visit, both for visitors and clients of our professional services businesses.
AIM: To provide a safe and secure town centre environment for business owners and visitors through tackling crime and anti-social behaviour through our dedicated security team, DISC and Storenet radio services.
WE WILL:
- Fund our trusted security team who will be the ‘eyes and ears’ of our town and will operate for a minimum of 50 hours per week carrying out the following:
- Tackling anti-social behaviour issues to keep our streets safe and prevent stock loss
- Remove fly posting
- Act as St Austell ambassadors for all visitors to our town
- Be a key point of contact for levy payers to support them with issues
- Maintain the Storenet radio scheme (linked to CCTV) with a discount for all BID levy payers
- Facilitate discussions between multi-agencies that deal with anti-social behaviour issues to tackle and minimise issues that could deter people from visiting St Austell
- Deliver the DISC online crime reporting system reporting crime direct to Devon and Cornwall Police
YOUR FEEDBACK ON SAFE & SECURE PROJECTS
3. Are these the right priorities for Safe & Secure?
5. Which is the most important project idea?
THEME 2 – MARKETING & EVENTS
Raising the profile of St Austell and promoting our businesses will remain a key focus for St Austell BID. You have also told us that our Christmas events and family fun days create a real buzz in the town and bring in visitors. We intend to build on this by hosting events all year-round bringing visitors to our town in the summer months for a fun and vibrant experience.
AIM: To raise the profile of St Austell as a year-round destination to shop, eat, work and explore, increasing footfall and spend through delivering marketing campaigns together with an exciting programme of events working with key partners.
WE WILL:
- Deliver and promote St Austell’s Christmas festival driving footfall into our town. Our festival includes the Christmas Lights Switch On event working in partnership with White River Place, providing entertainment every Saturday in the run up to Christmas. Marketing will be handled via social media, event guides and radio advertising
- Deliver Christmas Lights across our town (excluding White River Place) reviewing the design and content of the scheme and where possible, improving on the quality of lights, working in partnership with St Austell Town Council
- Promote St Austell and your levy paying business digitally via social media and our BID website reaching a wide audience
- Promote St Austell via leaflets, posters and printed media arranging for the circulation and display of these including our annual town guide and our annual Christmas business directory with extensive distribution to appropriate outlets
- Organise and promote the St Austell Loyalty card with 2,200 card holders
- Facilitate events all year round by working with other organisations to provide an exciting calendar of activities. During the new term, the BID team will introduce new summer events making full use of our performance stage, a new addition this year to help give our events a more professional appearance. Community groups will be encouraged to make more of their town by offering free use of the stage for performances held in the town centre
YOUR FEEDBACK ON MARKETING & EVENTS PROJECTS
7. Are these the right priorities for Marketing & Events?
9. Which is the most important project idea?
THEME 3 – ATTRACTIVE & ACCESSIBLE
It’s clear that businesses in St Austell take great pride in our town’s environment. You clearly love our hanging baskets and planting schemes and appreciate how much more attractive and welcoming the town is through small touches such as bunting and banners.
AIM: To create an attractive and accessible town through planting, art, bunting, banners and working with partners to ensure our streets are clean and tidy.
WE WILL:
- Fund seasonal planting scheme across our town including hanging baskets throughout the summer; this led to St Austell winning a Gold award and overall winner in the South West in Bloom Award in 2021 alongside a national nomination in 2022.
- Work with landlords and agents to promote empty shop units to new tenants or potential investors by promoting the town and surrounding area via our ‘Investing in the Future’ St Austell brochure, and where appropriate, dressing vacant premises
- Commission street art with partners, White River Place
- Monitor the cleaning of St Austell town centre working closely with Cornwall Council to ensure that the service is being delivered to a high standard in line with agreed contracts
- Provide additional street cleaning including pressure washing to the main town centre at a cost of circa £1,000 per clean
- Provide circa 1,200 metres of bunting all year round*
- Install colourful banners at key entrances to our town centre to welcome visitors*
*As a BID we are committed to use environmentally friendly materials.
YOUR FEEDBACK ON ATTRACTIVE & ACCESSIBLE PROJECTS
11. Are these the right priorities for Attractive & Accessible?
13. Which is the most important project idea?
YOUR MAIN PRIORITIES AND HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
15. In your opinion how important are the themes below (rank them in order with 1 being the most important and 3 being the least important). This will help St Austell BID focus their resources where businesses need it most.
16. What can St Austell BID do to specifically support your business?
YOUR REACTION
17. Based on what you have read and your priorities, would you vote ‘yes’ for St Austell BID to continue for a third term?
TESTIMONIALS
18. Would you be prepared to give St Austell BID a positive testimonial for use on our website and in our business plan?
VOTER
19. Will you be the person voting in the St Austell BID ballot?
If No, please provide the contact details for the person who will vote below:
Thank you for contributing your time and expertise
Your feedback will be used to shape the St Austell BID final business plan which will be published in October 2022 ahead of a 28 day postal ballot closing on Thursday 8th December 2022.
If you have any further questions or comments about St Austell BID and the third term, please contact Annette Miller at staustellbid@gmail.com or call 01726 467498.