ABC Council is to spend £25,000 on a borough-boosting initiative by erecting ‘shop local’ banners and removing outdated ‘Covid Aware’ stickers.
The scheme will also involve ‘dressing’ some vacant shops to ‘improve aesthetics’.
The issue was presented – and recommended for approval – at Tuesday’s economic development and regeneration committee, despite some concerns aired by various councillors.
During the course of debate, questions were asked about whether the chambers of commerce and trade in each area had been properly consulted, with some councillors saying needs varied from place to place.
There were concerns too over the importance of ensuring rural areas would benefit, and that the appearance of some of the proposed areas for banners was overgrown with weeds and untidy.
One councillor cautioned: “It is a return on investment we need to be clear on here, because at the end of the day this is £25,000 of ratepayers’ money that needs to be quantified going forward.”
The project will be aimed at so-called ‘Tier 1’ towns, with the potential to expand to other areas depending on funding.
The new banners would be erected on council-owned flagpoles, meaning that the first phase would target Armagh and Banbridge.
The planned locations for Armagh are at the Gaol, Scotch Street car park, the Library at Market Street, the Shambles Market, and the roundabouts at the Courthouse and Deansbridge. For Banbridge, the banners would go up at the Tesco roundabout on the Rathfriland Road, the Lotus roundabout, the A1 at Rathfriland Road, the Edenderry Terrace flower bed at Scarva Street, the grass verge on Dromore Road, and private lands at the Downshire Arms.
Approval would have to be sought from DfI to use lamp posts, meaning the remainder of the Tier 1 towns – Portadown, Lurgan and Dromore – would follow in a second phase.
The idea was brought to the economic development and regeneration committee this week under the umbrella of a new ‘borough-wide town centre initiative’.
It was presented by head of economic development Nicola Wilson, whose report recommended the “design and installation of 20 ‘Shop Local’ banners across each of the five Tier 1 town centres to promote key council messages and enhance town centre visibility”.
At the same time, it would also see the removal of 33 existing ‘Covid Aware’ window stickers.
Furthermore, the initiative will involve the installation of 10 new window graphics in derelict properties within the towns.
The overall package is intended to “improve aesthetics and support local economic activity”.
It carries a price tag of £25,000 to deliver what has been planned over the next two years.
The officer, in her report, explained: “The development and enhancement of the borough’s city, towns and villages remains a key strategic objective for council. This work is central to improving the welcoming atmosphere and overall attractiveness of the borough, making it a more appealing destination for both residents and visitors.
“Creating vibrant, engaging public spaces contributes to a stronger sense of place and supports wider economic and community development goals.”
The meeting was told that, after an “agreed action” by councillors at the June committee, officers had been progressing a proposal to implement a “series of town centre initiatives aimed at enhancing visibility and promoting local engagement”.
One involves the erection of town centre ‘dressing banners’ on flagpoles across 20 strategic locations in Armagh, Banbridge, Dromore, Lurgan and Portadown. These banners – which will be ‘interchangeable’ – will be “used to promote seasonal campaigns, shop local messaging, and council-led events, contributing to a more dynamic and visually appealing streetscape”.
Concept designs will be created “in line with corporate branding”; officers will ensure banners are “durable, visually appropriate and consistent across town centres, while reflecting local identity”.
A seasonal calendar of displays will be developed to “align with council events and campaigns, with content that is inclusive and strategically branded”.
The report added: “In addition to the banner initiative, officers are also proposing a second intervention to replace existing Covid recovery signage in key locations within the Tier 1 towns. This signage, which has now become outdated, will be replaced with new visuals that promote the borough-wide gift card scheme. Priority will be given to vacant and derelict properties, with the aim of improving the aesthetics of town centres while simultaneously supporting local businesses.
“This initiative will help to inject colour and vibrancy into underutilised spaces, reinforce positive messaging around local economic recovery, and strengthen the identity of each town centre.
“Following the successful implementation of this initiative within the Tier 1 town centres, it is proposed that the programme be extended to Tier 2 and subsequently Tier 3 areas, subject to the availability of funding.”
Delving deeper into the plans, the head of economic development explained: “In 2020, the council introduced the Covid Aware Scheme to support safe local shopping and boost public confidence during the pandemic.
“While the initiative was well received, with 33 businesses participating, the associated signage and equipment are now considered outdated. Officers propose removing the remaining Covid Aware materials and replacing them with refreshed signage in up to 10 derelict shopfronts across Tier 1 towns. This new signage will promote the borough-wide gift card scheme and contribute to town centre vibrancy and visual improvement.
“Each site will require an estimated budget of up to £1,000, representing a long-term investment in enhancing the public realm. Artist impressions of the proposed signage will be shared with members prior to installation. Subject to funding, the initiative may be extended to Tier 2 towns in future phases.”
Councillor Joy Ferguson raised a question on the “marketing impact of the shop local banners”, asking how that would show a “return on investment for this level of spend”.
She also raised the issue of the proposed locations, particularly in Banbridge, saying some of them were on roundabouts which were “covered in weeds and drastically untidy”.
“If we are trying to make an impression through these shop local banners these roundabouts would need to be tidied,” added Councillor Ferguson.
She said they were DfI-owned and, in conjunction with the initiative, she proposed that the council write to DfI and ask them to tidy these roundabouts.
Head of economic development Nicola Wilson said it was a pilot project and explained it was the first time in the recent past council had done something of this nature.
She said they were “very keen to measure the return on investment” and anticipated that would be monitored “through our footfall counters in town centres”, through monthly council taskforces, and by encouraging chambers of commerce to provide statistics where possible.
Councillor Kyle Savage zoned in on the planned spending – and the need to include rural areas.
He said: “£25,000 is a lot of money for replacing a few stickers on windows and one thing and another and advertising going forward. Have you engaged with the chambers (of commerce) within the different town centres and what has been their feedback? We need to mark this going forward. It is a return on investment we need to be clear on here, because at the end of the day this is £25,000 of ratepayers’ money that needs to be quantified going forward.
“I’m happy enough with our towns, the urban centres getting, but I want to see our rural villages getting a shake of this as well, which is not in this, so I’m not happy with the report.”
The head of economic development said the chambers of commerce and trade had been consulted and were “very supportive”.
She added: “Whilst the initiative is initially mooted for the Tier 1 town centres, it is proposed that the programme is extended to Tier 2 and subsequently to Tier 3 areas subject to the availability of funding, and we feel that this phased approach will ensure that the benefits can be monitored, lessons learned, and a better impact achieved on the initial rollout.
“The intention is as a pilot looking at Tier 1, and then subject to the availability of funding, extending it further.”
Councillor Savage responded: “I look on with interest to see what the monitoring is and we will be watching this carefully, because we need to make sure there is a fair shake right through this council area.
“We are the biggest rural council in Northern Ireland. I do understand that the urban centres need their bit, but also we do as well. It is a lot of money for a pilot project in my eyes, that’s my concern, but they’re on record now tonight anyway.”
Independent Unionist Alderman Paul Berry also had concerns over the level of spending – and how it was proposed to use it.
He said he was happy enough with the different town centre initiatives “in principle”.
But he added: “£25,000 is quite a substantial amount of money. I would suspect that if the chambers of commerce were asked that, ‘We’ve a budget of £25,000, could you all come back with ideas as to how we could spend this amongst the towns,’ I don’t believe it would be banners. Have they been told about this or have they been asked about it? There’s a difference.
“I would like to dig into that a wee bit more because the businesses that I speak to, and many of us speak to throughout the city and borough, are constantly lobbying us for initiatives and improvements, and I don’t think banners was one of them, but I’ll stand to be corrected.”
Alderman Berry felt social media initiatives might be of use, with needs varying from place to place.
The head of economic development took on board the comments, replying: “We have consulted with the chambers through the taskforces but certainly we can go back out again and double-check what is required and what is wanted by the chambers, and bring back a further report.”
Other councillors also voiced strong opinions on the appearance and tidiness of the areas and the need for action to improve this in collaboration with DfI, and there was further endorsement for the preference of online assistance for businesses and the growth of social media presences over banners.
But the matter was approved by committee, with many now waiting to see how the pilot takes off.
