The Council's Recovery Plan

The Economy recovery plan has 4 key objectives:

1. The economy is rebuilt to be stronger in future.
2. Opportunities are developed to ensure the new economy is greener and more inclusive.
3. The programme stimulates the local economy and markets.
4. Town Centre becomes a more vibrant, resilient, and adaptable place for people to visit.

Activities already completed include:

• Extensive work with partners to re-open high streets.
• The £25M Town Deal process has re-started.
• A Business Impact Survey has been distributed and analysed.
• Promotion of climate/sustainability good practice - for example, working with Essex County Council to facilitate implementation of Safer, Greener, Healthier routes in the Town Centre.
• Promoting emphasis on travel planning and 'working differently' opportunities.
• Local Full Fibre Network Gigabit Broadband High Street works.
• Working with the Our Colchester Business Improvement District (BID) to encourage people to buy locally.
• Council procurement process reviewed to increase local opportunities and attract local suppliers and contractors.
• Colchester’s four Arts / Museum based National Portfolio Organisations supported in stimulating and relaunching key local arts and cultural sector businesses and assets within the new guidelines.
• Pavement repairs/improvements work in Colchester High Street started.
• Development of specific schemes that improve public realm in town centre: Mercury and St Nicholas Square.

Additional work started or planned includes:

• Town Deal – finalising and submitting We Are Colchester’s £25M bid and Town Investment Plan to Government.
• Partnership working – continuing to work with key sectors and partners including One Colchester, The Ambassadors Group, North Essex Economic Strategy Group and We Are Colchester (Town Deal) to understand their own recovery planning and finding opportunities to address impacts jointly.
• Funding of £20K for business support and advice to Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea).
• Continuing focus on using intelligence to target support, including the development of a dashboard of economic indicators.
• Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) – exploring opportunities to access MMC funding to unlock sites including housing sites.
• Working with Essex County Council to inform the development and implementation of the next phase of their ‘Safer Greener Healthier’ transport initiative and feeding insight from local partners to promote a greater emphasis on travel planning and working differently to minimise travel to and from work.
• Rollout of the E-cargo bikes project.
• Completing construction and re-opening of Mercury Theatre. Delivery of the Colchester Northern Gateway Sports Park.
• Continuing delivery of Colchester Northern Gateway District Heat Network to create an innovative renewable ground source energy supply.
• Constructing ‘The Walk’ at Colchester Northern Gateway for key pedestrian and cycle routes.
• Commencing 350 new homes (30% affordable) at Colchester Northern Gateway.
• Reviewing the ‘social value’ system of procurement to encourage local suppliers.
• Ongoing support for arts and cultural sectors through ‘Creative Colchester’ Board.
• Develop a case for funding of new centre for digital and creative businesses in Queen St ‘Queen St Grow on’ facility. Working to ensure research into future digital working hubs is undertaken.
• Pop up cycleways, secure Town Centre cycle parking and wider walking access launched to ensure visitors can travel by sustainable modes of transport and feel safe and supported to do this.
• Opportunities to improve the public realm identified.
• Opportunities to promote areas where the natural environment is more prominent in the urban streetscape identified to contribute to reducing air pollution and supporting biodiversity.