Memorandum by Carlisle City Council (RG
54)
In January 2005, Carlisle suffered its worst
floods in over a century. Over 2,000 homes and business were affected
with the cost of damage estimated at more than £250 million.
Carlisle City Council believes that, in the aftermath of the floods,
there is an opportunity to establish, a bold new vision for the
regeneration of the City, a vision that addresses the significant
economic, physical and social challenges that face Carlisle now
and in the future.
Under than banner of Carlisle Renaissance, we
have been working with our partners at a local, regional and national
level to get a better understanding of what needs to be done to
secure the future growth and prosperity of the City, and the role
that we and others would have in this. We have also been exploring
how such growth can support improvements in the economy of Cumbria
and the North West region as a whole.
Since the floods, we have been working on a new Vision
for Carlisle Renaissance that sets out what the City could evolve
into over the next decade. It is ambitious and aspirational and
achieving it will require investment by both the public and the
private sectors.
Carlisle City Council is pleased to have the
opportunity to respond to the latest enquiry on regions and city
regions.
Carlisle supports devolution of powers to sub
regional and local level and is already seeking opportunities
to collaborate within Cumbria to achieve efficiency savings and
more effective services for local people, eg Achieving Cumbrian
Excellence (ACE) Cumbria Housing Strategy, Cumbria Procurement
Initiative in partnership with the North West Centre of Excellence,
Connected Cumbria.
Carlisle welcomes closer collaboration within
the region and inter-regional co-operation to tackle complex economic,
social and environmental issues that do not respect administrative
boundaries.
Carlisle Renaissance, a major urban regeneration
programme for the city, has revealed its potential as a model
for a city region within Cumbria. Carlisle is already the principle
commercial, administrative, retail and cultural centre for much
of Cumbria and south west Scotland and Carlisle Renaissance is
about securing economic growth for the city. Carlisle is not part
of a conurbation like other city regions; its geographical location,
extensive rural hinterland and local topography mean it could
be considered as a "stand alone" economy. However, its
sphere of influence extends across north Cumbria to north east
England and to south west Scotland and as such, is more significant
geographically than other city regions[86].
Carlisle Renaissance has the potential to deliver economic growth
across the whole of its catchment area and to tackle other strategic
issues that contribute to sustainable communities, eg road and
rail transport. Working across current administrative boundaries
in this way, Carlisle Renaissance would be well placed to contribute
to the economic prosperity of its catchment area.
86 450,000 live within one hour's drive of the city,
Carlisle Renaissance Prospectus, 2005. Back
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