Skipton Renaissance Charter July 2003

This page last modified 20 July 2003

Below is the text of the Skipton Renaissance Charter, as presented on Wednesday 16th July 2003 by John Thompson at Skipton Town Hall. This was the culmination of all the Renaissance Weekend stuff, with workshops, focus groups, etc.

The charter comes printed nicely on glossy A4 paper, and on the back is a pretty good aerial view of Skipton, taken (we assume) in July 2003 from a low flying helicopter. It shows the High Street, Castle, canal and the town centre. We've scanned and saved it as a high-resolution image (opens in new window. Filesize: 355KB)

We've also included here a web version of the Skipton Renaissance Vision, a 4 page A4 glossy document that shows drawings and concepts for the future of Skipton town centre.

We assume that in due course these documents will appear on the John Tompson website: www.communityplanning.co.uk as PDF downloads. At this moment in time that is not the case.

Skipton Renaissance Charter July 2003

The Charter
The Charter is a document which sets out agreed common principles and promises. For the charter to be successful it needs to be signed up to by all sections of the community. In signing the Charter the community agrees to work together towards common objectives and a new Vision for the Future. The Charter sets out the rights and privileges which the community claim in looking for a renaissance of the town of Skipton and its rural hinterland.

Expressing the intentions of the community in the form of a Charter helps everyone measure future proposals against its principles.

Process
We, the people of Skipton, civic leaders and representatives of businesses, voluntary and community sectors, are jointly committed to the emerging Vision for Skipton and its surrounding rural hinterland. We will demonstrate our continued commitment by working together on a process of physical and symbolic change.

The wider town
We will maintain Skipton as a thriving, outward looking, historic market town that can adapt and develop in response to the changing future needs of residents and visitors alike.

The town centre
We will maintain and enhance a healthy, bustling and safe town centre containing a healthy mix of uses including housing.

Movement and transport
We will work to achieve a network of fully accessible, safe, affordable, integrated and more environmentally sustainable choices for travelling in and around Skipton and the region.

Tourism
We will value and welcome visitors to Skipton and its hinterland while working to ensure that the town functions for both residents and businesses and is not dominated by tourism.

Environmental quality
We will maintain and enhance a clean and beautiful natural and built environment and preserve and enhance Skipton as an attractive, historic market town accepting excellent contemporary design where appropriate.

Diversity
We will value the principle of inclusivity and respect and consider the needs and aspirations of all individuals and groups living in, working in and visiting Skipton.

Local economy
We will value and support a varied and sustainable local economy that embraces the technologies of the 21 st Century and is in harmony with the environmental and social aspirations of the community.

Heritage and culture
We will preserve all that is best of the town's heritage and cultural assets whilst developing new and varied opportunities for the expression of local arts and culture.

Leisure and sport
We will strive to maintain and further develop a wide range of sporting and leisure opportunities, particularly for young people.

Housing
We will work to secure a range of housing that meets the needs of the community regardless of age and income.

Social provision
We will strive to maintain and enhance a range of high quality health, education and social provision to serve and meet the needs of all the residents of Skipton.

Revision and monitoring
We accept and acknowledge that the actions and performance of all stakeholders will need to be measured and monitored against the principles of the Charter at regular intervals and in an open and transparent way.

Skipton Renaissance Vision

The Renaissance Process
Since its initiation by Yorkshire Forward and Craven District Council in April 2003, over 2000 local people have been involved in the Skipton Renaissance project. This culminated in an intensive participatory process held over the weekend of 11-13 July, when the High Street was simultaneously transformed into an outdoor living room for the enjoyment of the whole community.

Building on the preceding phase of workshops, walkabouts, focus groups and Hands-on Planning sessions, the Weekend brought together both local people and visitors to the town. The Renaissance Marquee acted as a focal point for discussion and debate while the High Street provided a sounding board for further opinions and ideas.

With the process facilitated by a team of consultants from Yorkshire Forward's Rural Renaissance Panel, a Vision for the Future began to emerge, supported by a Charter and Action Plan. Over the coming months the Skipton Renaissance Partnership and Forum will bring together interests from across the town, to take the first steps in delivering the Vision.

The Renaissance Vision
The consensus that has emerged seeks to maintain and enhance Skipton as a bustling, high quality and dynamic market town and gateway to and from the Yorkshire Dales: a place which can adapt and grow in response to the future needs of its residents, businesses and visitors while retaining its unique heritage, beauty and character.

"We need to move carefully into the future, because there's not much wrong with the present!"

"We have so much to offer: history, "It's safe, it's friendly, and there's
canal and a beautiful setting." lots more to do than just shopping."

"The High Street's our heart - it needs to beat for everyone."

"How can we tame the car and keep our economy alive?"

"Let's have a car free High Street every Sunday... it's brilliant to have our space back."

Vision for Skipton

A twenty year plan for change

The following notes are keyed (A,B,C,etc...) to this schematic drawing of Skipton town centre (opens in a new window. Filesize: 146KB):

The Ring Road
Exploring the opportunity to provide:

• Park and Ride facilities at the Auction Mart with a choice of canal boats, cycleways, footpaths and shuttle buses to get into town
• A goods distribution area
• A lorry service area
• Homes and employment sites

A - The High Street
Rolling out "The Magic Carpet" - a continuous high quality surface for the High Street to create a flexible space whose use could change seasonally, weekly or even daily.

B - The Town Hall
A cultural venue for theatre, music and exhibitions connected to the former High Street Car Park through a covered pedestrian street.

C - The Town Hall Car Park
A mixed residential and live / work quarter retaining enhanced car parking facilities.

D -Keighley Road, Bus Station
A mixed use development based on a local transport hub, combining bus and taxi stands with cycle, motorcycle and short stay car parking.

E - Belle Vue Mills
A mixed use development including business, residential, leisure, cultural and retail uses, animating both the canalside and Broughton Road.

F - Canal Basin
A permeable mixed use development and canalside piazza with a new pedestrian bridge connecting both sides of the canal.

G - Coach Street Car Park
A mixed residential quarter responding to its historical context and improving public car parking facilities.

H - Cavendish Street Car Park
A canalside setting for a mixed use development including public car parking facilities.

I - Granville Street - District Council Offices
A residential development and new canal basin acting as a gateway to Aireville Park.

The following notes are keyed (1,2,3,etc...) to this printed page of architectural drawings (opens in a new window. Filesize: 146KB):

Cavendish Street Car Park (1) - Located on the old gas works site, a mixed use development of residential, retail and leisure facilities enhancing the canalside and creating links through the site. Coach Street Car Park (2) - A new residential quarter developed around a courtyard with a mixture of tenures. The Town Hall (3) - Combining theatre, music, arts and exhibition space to create a dynamic new cultural centre with a covered pedestrian link (Albion Place) connecting to a new residential and live/work quarter (4) accommodating local parking needs, created on the Town Hall Car Park. Canal Basin (5) - A new destination point for the town, with a distinctive canalside setting and a new pedestrian bridge increasing permeability through the Town Centre to Belle Vue Mill and the Railway Station beyond.

Skipton Renaissance forms part of Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance Market Towns initiative and is being facilitated by John Thompson and Partners, working together with Craven District Council, Skipton Town Council and North Yorkshire County Council. For further information, please contact Nicola Forde at John Thompson and Partners, 70 Cowcross Street, London EC1 M 6EJ, 0207 251 5135, nf@jtp.co.uk or visit the project website at www.communityplanning.co.uk

There are photographs of the Renaissance Weekend in the SkiptonWeb gallery.

Here's a link to the message board where you can add your own comments on this issue...

More information / links:

The John Thompson and Partners website is at www.communityplanning.co.uk

The Skipton Renaissance program is being organised by Yorkshire Forward, Craven District Council and Skipton Town Council (no website?)

There is more information on this general subject on an earlier SkiptonWeb page, detailing the Renaissance Weekend of July 2003