Board members consider priorities

A meeting of members of the new Carlisle Renaissance Board took place on Friday (11th July).

They discussed the role of the Board to set and maintain the focus of Carlisle Renaissance on "transformational" actiions capable of making a significant contribution to the growth of Carlisle. It will focus its efforts on making sure that these things get done.

At this stage the emphasis of the debate was on what needed to be done and why rather than on the where and how. This was also seen by Board members as an opportunity to take stock of the work to date and reassess the rationale for action.

The members of the Board agreed to concentrate on the following four transformational actions for Carlisle Renaissance: -

• Developing a new City Centre Riverside Campus for the University of Cumbria
• Maximising the potential of the Historic Quarter and its key assets
• Delivering major new employment sites on the M6 corridor
• Strengthening the mix of commercial activity in the City Centre

It was recognised that these are not the only things that need to happen in Carlisle but that these four actions and getting them delivered should form the heart of the renaissance agenda.

The new Programme Director, Ian McNichol, reviewed the sort of resources that would be necessary to deliver these actions including how the new delivery team would be structured and role of partners organisations and stakeholders in the delivery process.

The first official meeting of the Board will be held in September to consider more detailed plans for the transformational actions and the wider programme that would form part of a 3-5 year action plan for Carlisle Renaissance. The Board is expecting to meet every 2-3 months thereafter

Bryan Gray, Chairman of the Board commented "This was an extremely positive meeting. It is the first time all the members of the Board have met as a group and I am pleased that there was a considerable degree of consensus about what Carlisle Renaissance needs to focus on and why. This is very much a new chapter and it is vital that we spend the time now on getting the right plans in place and then getting on with them"

For further information contact Helen Askew, Marketing and Communications, Carlisle Renaissance, on 01228 817110 or via email helena@carlisle.gov.uk