We have welcomed news that Bolsover District Council has received £95,800 from the PropTech Engagement Fund to help develop plans for more resident engagement using digital platforms.
The funding comes on the back of another successful bid for £100,000 in the first round of the fund.
Shirebrook residents are being urged to take part in a new style of planning consultation and are being asked for their views on a proposed Growth Plan for the town.
During March 2022, people living and working in Shirebrook are being asked what it is like to live and work in the town, how the town centre and Market Place could be improved and how the environment within and around Shirebrook could be enhanced.
To promote this new style of planning consultation a new web based consultation platform is being trialled for the Shirebrook Growth Plan Initial Consultation Exercise.
Council Leader Steve Fritchley said, “We continue to innovate as a Council and I’m pleased to announce that our plans have caught the Government’s attention and that once again we have been recognised as being at the forefront of digital planning. We are one of only 28 Councils across the UK that have been selected and are one of the few to be successful in both rounds of funding.”
The new funding will be used as part of the Shirebrook Growth Plan where residents can use virtual reality technology to see how developers plan their sites. It will also give residents the chance to come up with their own development proposals to see where to put new housing, offices, schools, roads, green spaces and spaces for nature.
Cllr Fritchley added, “A month ago, we announced that we would demonstrate our ambitions for growth in two of our settlements - Shirebrook and Creswell. Based on this decision, these are the only two settlements earmarked for additional growth over above that set out in our Local Plan and it is important that local communities can have their say on how they are developed.
“Now that we have been successful again in the PropTech Engagement Fund, we intend to explore the benefits of growth for investment in our local infrastructure and in our town and local centres and we will use the Government’s funding to ensure the people living and working in Shirebrook and Creswell get fully involved in shaping their futures.”
Working with a PropTech software partner, The Future Fox, for more community involvement in the preparation of the Shirebrook Growth Plan in July, drawing upon the feedback from the community from the current consultation exercise (which lasts until 31 March 2022) and creating the virtual reality platform.