Plymouth Waterfront Business Plan Highlights

Waterfront Business Plan Highlights

The Waterfront Business Improvement District aims to transform the Waterfront’s profile and the profitability of businesses in the area over the long term. Adopting a Business Improvement District (BID) to deliver this change through the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership puts in place a strong, transparent, private sector led organisation fully accountable to local businesses.

It also provides the legal framework to tie in Plymouth City Council through service level agreements, ring-fencing of £2.77 million of services and securing £673,000 in agreed match funding.

The 42 projects identified in the Waterfront Business Plan are the result of 14 months of consultation with local businesses. Highlights include:

Five-year, £680,000 marketing campaign

Re-positioning Plymouth as a major UK visitor destination, progressively targeting new markets including day visitors, short breaks and in time US East Coast visitors.

In advance of the BID, the PWP already delivered a high quality visitor guide in 2011 and recently launched another excellent guide for 2012. A BID would allow a wider programme of destination marketing to be developed in partnership with Destination Plymouth, the City Centre Company and the City Council including a dramatically improved Visit Plymouth website.

As well as the tourism market, Plymouth will be actively marketed nationally as a conference destination.

£1,449,000 to improve the visitor experience

Dramatically improved signage, interpretation and information will create an accessible, engaging, fun and interactive experience for visitors.

The aim is to effectively tell Plymouth’s many stories and ensure visitors move around all parts of the city and its Waterfront. This includes creating mini-destinations – The Barbican, The Hoe, Sutton Harbour and the Royal William Yard – and ensuring the provision of better water transport links and well signposted walking/cycling trails to link them together.

Better links with neighbouring attractions, such as Saltram and the Plym Valley, South West Coast Path and cycling routes will encourage more visitors to the Waterfront.£1,294,000 for major events

PWP will work to grow events and festivals to provide even more reasons to visit the Waterfront. Events have a direct benefit to businesses by generating additional footfall around the Waterfront, bed-nights and visitor spend and also benefit the wider city by creating a platform to generate sponsorship and revenue income and an opportunity to showcase Plymouth on a regional, national and international stage.

Plans include a major shore-side events programme running May – September each year, including themed weekends and visiting tall ships.

A new ‘signature event’ will be established with international profile, building on the America’s Cup and British Art Show, and building to a planned Mayflower 2020 celebration to attract visitors and inward investment.

Cleaner and Safer Waterfront

A clean and safe family-friendly environment through a range of projects, including using the BID to tie in Plymouth City Council to maintain and improve existing service levels.

A uniformed clean team, new Waterfront caretaker and public education campaigns will focus on improving standards of cleansing and maintenance.

There will be improved management, including traffic, around Bank Holidays and events. An Evening and Night Time Economy manager will work with local businesses and the police to tackle low level anti-social behaviour.

Environmental Improvements

Leveraging a £20,000 contribution from PWP members, the BID will create a pot worth £327,000 to spend on creating a ‘visitor experience worth having’. From arrival in the Waterfront through to departure, PWP will ensure the area exceeds visitor expectation and secures increased dwell time, sales, loyalty and pride.

In 2011 PWP created a partnership to repaint the Hoe Belvedere and ensured East Hoe’s Elphinstone car park and Phoenix Wharf areas were resurfaced.

In 2012 and beyond PWP hopes to develop grounds maintenance to award winning standards, ensure the repainting of Smeaton’s Tower, dress vacant shop units, provide quality Christmas illuminations and deliver a package of visitor welcome training.

Inward Investment and regeneration

The PWP would take the lead in enabling inward investment and regeneration in the Waterfront, identifying and actively encouraging businesses and brands to invest and working with existing Waterfront land owners and other partners to co-ordinate the creation of a series of mini-destinations, nationally famed for their individuality e.g. The Barbican, The Hoe, Sutton Harbour and Royal William Yard.

With the mandate delivered by a BID, the PWP would work with partners to establish an agreed vision for the development of key Waterfront sites and seek funding for targeted improvements that could support the visitor economy. PWP has already scoped

Waterfront development opportunities and established a partnership arrangement with key partners, including Plymouth University and the City Council.

Reducing Business Costs

The Business Improvement District will reduce business costs associated with trading in the Waterfront, using its shared buying power strength to negotiate discounts and subsidise costs of important services.

Research has already been done into insurance, recycling, utility bills and waste management to identify savings potential for BID businesses.

A specialist business rates surveyor will support individual business owners with rating appeals on a no win no fee basis.