People who live and work in the Keynsham area are being invited by Bath & North East Somerset Council to give their views on potential changes to the town centre.
Views are sought on the improvement of the town centre | © Google 2018
A drop in event is being held at the Civic Centre, Keynsham, on Thursday 22nd November between 3.30pm and 7.30pm.
Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) has launched a round of public consultation focusing on public realm improvements, which it believes will help improve Keynsham’s town centre environment, making it more accessible and attractive.
Improvements to the public realm were highlighted as a key priority by local people in the consultations that informed the Keynsham Town Plan, Keynsham Transport Strategy and B&NES Placemaking Plan.
The January 2018 consultation further reinforced the importance of these improvements to local people.
B&NES has now allocated funds to create a proposal to refresh Keynsham town centre. The council will also bid for a £1.5 million grant from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to pay for the work.
A number of focused stakeholder workshops have already been held looking at Keynsham town centre and now B&NES is seeking input from the wider community.
Councillor Paul Myers, B&NES Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Regeneration, said, “We have listened to residents, who are asking for improvements to the town centre to help make it an attractive place to live and visit.
“Based on what people are asking for we have put forward these proposals and now we want people’s views on the plans.”
B&NES Ward Member for Keynsham North, Councillor Charles Gerrish, added: “This is a great opportunity to invest in Keynsham and input from across the wider community is really important to make sure the scheme achieves as many benefits as possible.”
Chairman of Keynsham Town Council, Councillor Clive Fricker, said: “I encourage as many residents and business people as possible to attend the event on 22nd November and take part in the consultation. This will be a great opportunity to help shape the centre of our town for many years to come.
“The Town Council has been working closely with B&NES on this project and we believe there is a real opportunity for Keynsham. It offers yet more investment in the town and a chance to improve the environment offering more to residents, visitors and businesses.”
This local consultation will coincide with much wider discussions taking place, concerning the B&NES Local Plan.
All of the consultation information will be available via www.bathnes.gov.uk/keynsham from Thursday 22nd November to Friday 11th January 2019.
