Stowmarket

From 2019, key public sector organisations, business, and the community were engaged in a series of workshops. These shaped a long-term Stowmarket town vision, with key priorities and ambitions.

Following consultation with the community, businesses and stakeholders, a  “Plan on a Page” for the Vision of Stowmarket was developed – Stowmarket Vision POAP

Stowmarket Town Centre Gateway Fund

Mid Suffolk District Council have created a £1.5million fund to enhance Stowmarket town centre. The Stowmarket Town Centre Gateway Fund is now open for enquiries, expressions of interest and proposals.

This Fund is made possible thanks to the income generated by our investment in the Gateway 14 business park – which is on the edge of the town.

Visit the dedicated page here.

Our vision for Stowmarket

• A place for innovation, enterprise, and creativity
• The strategic Gateway to Suffolk, a connected town
• A strong and proud community, successful through working together
• A great place to live, work, learn, visit, and experience

Our ambitions

• Transform the perceptions of Stowmarket
• Enable Stowmarket as a place to invest
• Drive a centre for exciting culture, creativity, and technology
• Develop a vibrant town centre for residents and visitors

The programme draws together a range of key projects and supports the long- goals for the town, as well as short term deliverable projects and pilots working in collaboration. We will continue the programme of involvement and engagement and provide updates on progress through established collaborative groups.

Delivery and Steering Group

The Stowmarket Vision Delivery Group and Steering Group are in place to drive these changes forward. They are partnership groups representing public sector, community, and business. These aims and ambitions are also supported by the Stowmarket Culture Sub-Group.

Stowmarket Culture Group

The Stowmarket Culture Group is instrumental in supporting Stowmarket Vision work, and was initially facilitated by the District Council to support collaborative work across heritage and culture in the town. The group has a shared ambition to bring higher levels of cultural participation and helps manage strategic programmes and projects.

The Sudbury Culture Group is instrumental in supporting Sudbury Vision work, and was initially facilitated by the District Council to support collaborative work across heritage and culture in the town. The group has a shared ambition to bring higher levels of cultural participation and helps manage strategic programmes and projects.

The group currently includes representatives from:

• Suffolk County Council
• The Quay Theatre
• Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
• The Offshoot Foundation
• We Are Unit
• Sudbury Library
• Mill Tye Gallery
• Sudbury Arts Society

The group works to make Sudbury a place that people want to live in, work in, do business in and visit, with culture a key part of it’s appeal. So far the group have worked progressively on funding applications and delivering partnership events including Heritage Opens Days in September.

The group currently includes representatives from:

• John Peel Centre
• Modece Architects
• Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
• Food Museum
• Town Council
• Suffolk County Council
• Red Gables
• Primadonna Festival

The group works to make Stowmarket a place that people want to live in, work in, do business in and visit, with culture a key part of it’s appeal. So far the group have worked progressively on funding applications and delivering partnership events including Heritage Opens Days in September and the Jubilant Festival.

The Stowmarket Placemaking and Wayfinding Project

In October 2022 Counterculture Partners and IDK were appointed as consultants to build upon the work undertaken in the development of the Stow Vision. The objective being to support Stowmarket to establish itself as a key cultural destination in Suffolk. Babergh and Mid Suffolk Council is keen to understand the potential for the town to become an essential tourist attraction with a well communicated visitor offer and identity that can support economic growth and provide a gateway to the wider region. This Placemaking and Creative Wayfinding strategy project runs parallel to the development of a Cultural, Heritage and Visitor Economy Strategy for Babergh and Mid Suffolk. We have worked closely with our colleagues at CT Consults to ensure the proposals for improved placemaking and wayfinding are aligned with the developing vision and priorities for culture, heritage and tourism in the region. The team has worked alongside the council and key stakeholders to review the town’s identity, placemaking activity, and current wayfinding schemes. This report comprises insights from desk-based research and stakeholder and two phases of community engagement. The first phase involved online interviews, three on site focus groups, site visits to key assets and a tour to review accessibility of way finding routes. In phase two we attended a Culture Group session, hosted a community workshop and worked with young people at two drop in sessions at The Mix, to test our findings and refine the design strategy. A full list of stakeholders is found in Appendix 10.1.

Jubilant Festival 2022

In 2022 the Stowmarket Culture Sub-group worked collaboratively to hold a mini youth arts and culture festival in the town centre. Over the summer a specially commissioned team of local artists worked with students from nine local schools to build exciting creative pieces. These included one-off performances, exhibitions, and short films which were displayed at a cultural venue in the town centre. Over 200 children and young people took part in the festival, and the weeklong performances brought new footfall to the town centre and venues, and celebrated the strong culture offer within the town.

The festival is to repeat in 2023 led by the Stowmarket Culture subgroup as an example of positive partnership and collaboration.

What’s next for Stowmarket?

On the 22 – 24 September 2022, the Stowmarket Vision group hosted an event called ‘What’s Next for Stowmarket?’.

This event showcased a range of local projects to residents, visitors and businesses with an aim of reviewing and refreshing the Vision and delivery plan for the town. Read all about that event here.