Draft Town Investment Plan: Richmond

Introduction

This Town Investment Plan sets out a clear and collaborative vision for Richmond's future. Shaped through meaningful collaboration with residents, businesses and stakeholders, the plan identifies a series of priorities for developing the town. 

We have set out a vision and framework for investment over the next 10 years. This plan will be reviewed and refreshed in approximately five years to ensure it remains relevant to the town's needs and the changing political context of the region and nation. 

This work is supported by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire and receives funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. 

Strategic context

This plan has taken into consideration current frameworks, plans and strategies on a national, regional and local level.

This includes the: 

• National Planning Policy Framework
• Historic England’s Future Strategy
• Lets Create - Arts Council England Strategy 2020-2030
• our council plan
• The York and North Yorkshire Economic Framework (2024)
• North Yorkshire Council’s Economic Growth Strategy (2024-2029) 
• North Yorkshire Council’s 2024-2034 Destination Management Plan
• North Yorkshire’s Housing Strategy 2024-2029
• Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2030
• The Richmond Swale Valley Initiative (RSVI) (2003) 
• The 2009-2014 Final Framework 
• The Richmondshire Local Plan (2012-2028) 
• The 2023 Richmondshire Vacant Property Feasibility Report 
• Local Area Energy plans 

Strengths, issues and opportunities

Stakeholder engagement

A number of engagement and consultations took place in Richmond providing us with valuable feedback from the community. This included:

• drop-in events across five different sites - attended by 150 people, plus 20 young people at school sessions
• walk-arounds in the town centre and trading estate; and 
• an online survey - there were 270 responses

Mission

This plan puts forward a simple, unifying mission for the town: ‘Striving to make Richmond an even better place for all’. 

The mission intentionally communicates three important factors: 

1. ‘Striving’ - recognises that leading and delivering positive change is neither easy or automatic.
2. ‘Even better’ - Richmond is acknowledged as a place with many strengths, the challenges it faces are not critical in nature, but there is room for improvement.
3. ‘Everyone’ - an essential inclusive aspect, as we seek to make places that work for all.

Strategy

After the engagement and visioning phase, a comprehensive list of potential interventions was put together. Each intervention was evaluated based on several criteria, including its:

• strategic alignment
• compatibility with community feedback
• positive impacts on the economy, environment, and community
• feasibility, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness

As a result of this evaluation, we have identified certain interventions highlighted in the features above and produced the following shortlist:

Project prioritisation

Highest scoring council led investable propositions

Market Place regeneration

In line with the Healthy High Streets Report (Institute of Health Equity) and the 21st Century Towns Report (York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP), identifying ways to improve dwell time in the Market Place and ensure clearer pedestrian and vehicle priorities.

Accessible Richmond (part of programme)

Existing programme that can be further developed and accelerated to make North Yorkshire's streets and towns more accessible and inclusive.

Accessible, circular pocket trails and active travel

A series of circular walking trails that are accessible, providing activity for residents and visitors, and improving linkages between key areas including employment sites and visitor destinations of the town to promote active travel and modal shift to build on previous work.

Parking improvements

Richmond's parking is not yet optimised. The most convenient places are free, and the least convenient are paid. Ensuring the right sorts of parking, in the right places, that encourage dwell time, active travel and longer visits is essential.

Sustainable Richmond

Opportunities for retrofit, improved efficiency, heat networks and energy generation. Relevant to residential and commercial areas within and around the town. This also spans to climate adaptation in built up areas, water management and thermal adaptations.

Business park improvements

A holistic programme to explore a range of possible improvements to the industrial estate, ranging from branding, signage, public transport connections, parking and networking opportunities.

Highest scoring community led investable propositions

Marketing Richmond

In line with the Economic Strategy, place marketing and events promoting the existing high quality offer in Richmond is essential to its long term success.

Richmond bike park

A community led bike park that provides an excellent location for physical activity and social development. It has scope for expansion and can benefit from ongoing development.

Improved town centre vibrancy

A broad-brush approach to many of the smaller elements that make town centres thrive including shop fronts, refreshed design guide, bunting and street furniture.

Former Grammar School

Redevelopment of the building to bring it back into community use to include space for young people, creative industries, arts and culture, training and skills, physical activity and relocation of the library.

Business start-up space

Create pop up type retail, coworking and small office spaces to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship and business start-ups. This will help to deliver the early stages of the creative and digital sector aspirations contained in the Grammar School project.

Richmond Festival and town show

Exploring a five-year plan to position Richmond as a recognised ‘events town’ by developing a strong year-round programme and unified brand, starting with a cultural show for Richmond. 

Methodist Church Community Hub

The rebuilding and remodelling of the current Methodist church premises to provide a modern, multi-use, sustainable and inclusive resource to extend its current community footprint. The building will provide a modern hub to cater for the needs of the wider community.

Approach to delivery

Our approach can be broken down into several parts:

• this page sets out a framework for supporting funding bids and delivering positive change. It is not confined to the long list or short list, but these set out some initial interventions and longer-term potential interventions
• a recognition that some of the projects that need to be delivered to achieve the overall ambition for the town can only be done by third parties, outside of the council's and community's control. This plan will be utilised to clearly articulate the vision for the town as we advocate for the changes and interventions required
• the short list acknowledges the projects that can be most easily progressed over the next five years, through utilising funding or community partnerships already available and in place
• it is not guaranteed that North Yorkshire Council will lead on all of these projects or delivery. It is however an indication of external funding ambitions and local priorities should a business case confirm the viability if any opportunities and resources become available to deliver it
• any projects led by the council, will involve the community at every available and appropriate opportunity to shape and guide definition and delivery
• some projects will be community led, where the council can offer support and advice to assist the community in both the development and deliver phases of interventions 
• a separate long list of projects, developed from the community engagement exercise, will be maintained and regularly reviewed. Nothing on the long list is precluded from future consideration, the short list acts a guide for immediate priorities

Our shortlist has identified projects that are most likely to develop and deliver momentum for the town. This plan is a broad five to 10-year timescale, and if delivery is completed on this short-list, we will reassess priorities and take forward a fresh plan with the community. 

Return to the Richmond Town Investment Plan: Phase Two survey page