Have your say about the future of Rural Norfolk

Previous versions of the Norfolk Rural Strategy have been used to secure funding, such as the £9m of LEADER funding awarded to hundreds of community and small business projects across Norfolk since 2016.  The previous strategy also initiated campaigns to improve rural digital connectivity and the work to develop the Norfolk Natural Capital Assets Evidence Compendium, which provides a detailed evidence base on our natural environment.

The aim of this survey is to ensure that rural Norfolk continues to thrive, setting out a blueprint to deliver a positive change for its rural communities. NCC believes that to create this positive change, partnership with the community is important and feedback from residents vital to its success.

Cllr Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy, said:

“We are really interested in what the community – our residents, businesses, partnerships and academic institutions – think about how we could deliver the vibrant, healthy rural communities of the future.  Could the role of your market town change, how do we use our world class environment to support our vital tourism sector and how can the growth of clean energy fuel our homes and lives?

“With an ageing population, rural Norfolk is also in the frontline of changes in healthcare needs and Cllr Plant says ‘we need to understand how new technology can help meet  future service delivery and business needs, through initiatives  such as the Go Digital programme we launched in December 2020.”

Norfolk is a predominantly rural county with a rich history and an unrivalled diversity of landscapes, communities, market towns, villages and businesses.  With a proud history of innovation and ‘doing different’ stretching back hundreds of years – from the Agricultural Revolution, to the first environmental land management schemes trialled in the Broads in the 1980s, and which are now the central feature of the new UK agricultural policy.

There have been many changes to rural Market Towns. Digitalisation, online retailing, a rapid growth in remote working and an increasing desire to buy local products are combining to change the rural economy in new and fundamental ways.  One positive of the current pandemic is that many rural people are commuting less and accessing small shops and facilities in their community more. If such changes are to become permanent, the steering group’s aim is to identify what should be done to do to support them.

Martin Collison of Collison and Associates Limited said:

“The steering group’s ambition is that ‘as the UK develops plans for the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will average £1.5 billion per year, we must ensure we have the project ideas which will deliver on rural priorities.  But we also need to ensure that mainstream funding – such as large national budgets for education, health and transport – recognises and supports the needs of our rural communities.”

If you would like to have your say on the future of rural Norfolk you can view the online survey which can be accessed at: https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/consultation/norfolk-rural-strategy-2021-2024-survey/

Here you can review the draft strategy and comment on the issues which are the most important to you, your community, business or organisation.  The steering group is also very keen to collect ideas for rural projects.

ENDS

The proposed vision for the Norfolk Rural Strategy is:

To deliver inclusive, sustainable communities, a dynamic economy and healthy natural environment, to meet the needs of all rural residents and visitors.

To respond to the changes we are seeing in the rural economy and communities, the Strategy has one overarching focus, three delivery themes and three enablers:

Overarching focus:

1. Engagement, Evidence & Project Pipeline – deliver a Vision for Rural Norfolk and Proactive Project Pipeline, supported by local leaders and partners to advocate for rural investment.

Three delivery themes:

1. New Rural Economy & Market Towns – develop new rural economic opportunities and the role of Market Towns as service centres, repurposing commercial space and delivering innovation.
2. World Class Environment and the Green Economy – embrace Clean Growth and the economic opportunities it provides, leading thinking in how rural areas can deliver a low carbon economy.
3. Community Resilience – ensure rural areas deliver community resilience for all age groups by focusing on preventing community, social and health challenges at source.

Three Enablers:

1. Skills and Rural Innovation – address the rural skills divide and embrace innovation supported by project funding and World class skills and innovation infrastructure.
2. Digitalisation and technology adoption – support rural areas to embrace online business and service delivery, supported by automation and new technology to deliver high value jobs.
3. Modern Infrastructure – the delivery of new rural infrastructure supporting the transition to clean energy, sustainable transport, a digital economy and sustainable water management.

• Cllr. Graham Plant is Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy
• Martin Collison runs Collison and Associates Limited, a specialist rural and agricultural consultancy near King’s Lynn

For political comment
For details of cabinet members, committee chairs and agendas, please see: www.norfolk.gov.uk/cabinetandchairs
Group leaders’ and councillors’ contact details are available at: www.norfolk.gov.uk/countycouncillors

For further information please contact:
Communications Team at Norfolk County Council
Tel: 01603 228888
Email: pressoffice@norfolk.gov.uk

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