Fantastic turnout for Hexham Hub event
25 Mar 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Hundreds of Hexham residents attended an event on Saturday (23 March), where they found out more about developments in the town, and had an opportunity to have their say.
The Hexham Hub event featured stands about recent successful projects in the town; plans for two new schools; refurbishment work at Wentworth Leisure Centre; and a summary of the work so far on a project aimed at improving the Market Place.
Developers also took the opportunity to be there to talk about their plans for some key sites including the ‘Bunker on Alemouth Road; the old Hexham Swimming Pool on Gilesgate; and the old Workhouse and adjacent land on Corbridge Road.
Hexham County Councillor Cath Homer said: “The turnout for the event was fantastic, and we received a lot of very positive feedback about it. People were pleased to be able to find out more about what is going on in their town, and there was a lot of constructive views and comment.
“I was also very pleased with the way that partner agencies and developers engaged with this Hexham Hub event - and many told me that it was extremely helpful to be able to understand each other’s plans and consider how they might work together in the future for the good of the town.”
The Hexham Hub initiative was instigated by Northumberland County Council as part of its countywide scheme to provide forums in town centres, with similar ventures started in Alnwick, Ashington, Berwick, Blyth and Morpeth.
The Hexham Hub has set its aims as bringing together partner organisations to ensure a cohesive approach to the development of the town; to strive for a thriving retail, business and visitor economy; and to respect and uphold the history and heritage of the town and its neighbourhood plan as it develops.
Bob Hull from Hexham Town Council said: “This first Hexham Hub event was a great success. It was informative for the general public whilst demonstrating how all partners with an interest in the town can work effectively together towards a positive future.
“The Hub group will be looking closely at all of the feedback received from the event, and from it agree next steps for our work.
“We would like to thank everyone who came to the event for their time and interest.”
Councillor Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member for economic development at Northumberland County Council added: “The event was very busy when I called in on Saturday. It was great to see so much enthusiasm from the local community to play their part in shaping the future of Hexham.”
Those attending were also able to find out more about the new movement ‘Discover our Land’, which aims to share and celebrate everything that is great about Northumberland, whether people live in, work in, invest in or visit the county.
A stand about the Produced in Northumberland scheme provided further information about locally produced food and drink - and even provided samples of Northumberland cheese, water, fudge and biscuits.