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An update on the Haverhill Master Plan, Haverhill Brand and related projects was presented by Mike Dawson, Corporate Director Community and Patsy Dell, Head of Planning and Engineering Services, St Edmundsbury Borough Council on Tuesday 28th November.

This open forum was hosted by the town’s Chamber of Commerce and held at the newly opened Business & Training Centre at Castle Manor Business & Enterprise College.

A number of subjects were touched upon, including the still as yet unresolved Tesco situation. A representative of Tesco, Corporate Affairs Manager Michael Kissman, was present at the meeting and will be the guest speaker at the next chamber business event in January 2007.

Some surprising news was that the proposed multiplex cinema, destined for a site next to the Leisure Centre in Ehringshausen Way, is by no means fully secured. Mr Dawson explained that he couldn’t give further information as he had to respect confidentiality issues.

The joint presentation focused once again on the timescales involved in the delivery of the Master Plan, identified projects that are nearing completion and explained how the Borough Council plans to implement and fund future stages.

A key area of focus was the progress and development of the new Haverhill Brand. St Edmundsbury Borough Council have been working closely with The Design Office, the Haverhill company commissioned to create and develop the brand. Mr Dawson informed the audience of business representatives that the second stage of the branding project, the Haverhill Internal Marketing Strategy commissioned last June, is now almost complete following some revisions to the original document.

People living within the local area remain the target audience for the internal marketing strategy. Its objective is to encourage a 'feel good factor'.

It was acknowledged that at some point in the future a second marketing strategy will need to be commissioned - Haverhill External Marketing Strategy – with the express purpose of raising the profile of the town beyond the local area.

Those present were urged to visit the new CB9 Haverhill website, also commissioned by St Edmundsbury last June and earmarked for substantial development, to retrieve relevant graphics for the brand logo and guidelines for its use.

Following the presentation there were a number of questions and observations from the audience. Some concerns were raised regarding “lack of cohesive vision” and there were requests for a more detailed framework to guide developers.

The discussion concluded with a call from the current Haverhill Town Centre Manager, Nick Martin – who is coordinating the brand strategy – for everyone to continue to “talk up the town”.