Why it matters: The strategy will prioritise increasing visitors, fostering vibrant communities, and boosting the appeal of the night-time economy, building on Ipswich's existing culture and heritage.
How it works: The session used the "World Café" methodology, where participants rotated between four themed tables to discuss key questions about Ipswich's culture, heritage and future.
The big picture: This was the first of three planned workshops led by Achates, with additional sessions targeted at community representatives, freelancers and young people from Ipswich.
Between the lines: Common themes from the session included:
Challenging negative perceptions of the town
Strengthening civic pride
Leading with the arts as Ipswich's "USP"
An Arts Officer to own the vision and execution of the town's culture strategy
More affordable parking to improve town centre footfall
Improving public transport to support the night economy
The desire for the council to demonstrate greater ambition for the town and ability to execute
Embracing Ipswich's diverse population and communities
What they're saying: "Ipswich has a 'self deprecation' problem, which was raised by a few people in the sessions today," said Allister Frost, owner of Blast From The Past retro gaming lounge on Northgate Street. "I learnt that there are 7 theatres here in Ipswich! I've only been to two - Ipswich Regent Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre."
What's next: Ipswich Borough Council is committed to publishing the strategy in April. Though funding hasn't been secured yet, there was an indication that it would be available providing there was an income generation strategy.
Multiple attendees expressed desire for additional consultation before the strategy is presented to the council executive, however, there was a reluctance from council representatives to commit, citing timeframes.
The bottom line: With representation from every sector, the workshop demonstrated Ipswich's huge untapped potential and tremendous enthusiasm to fulfil it, dampened slightly by common concerns about infrastructure, funding, and governance that any successful strategy will need to address.
