“Regeneration is not just about buildings. In order to lift the heart of a place it must involve its people and provide opportunities, aspiration and a sense of community” – Byens borgmester i Dover, Byrådsmedlem Gordon Cowan.
And in a special Extraordinary meeting Councillors backed the Mayor to deliver on three big projects focusing on improving everyday quality of life for the majority of Dovorians.
- Et tilskud på £60.000 vil gå til den non-profit organisation Go Dubris for at støtte udviklingen af Co-Innovation Center i nye lokaler, der giver lavpris opstartsplads til nye små virksomheder. Der er allerede 10 new businesses trading in Dover Town Centre in shops that would otherwise be empty because of the start given in the Co-Innovation hub. The Town Council’s grant will secure the future for 5 år og spiller en afgørende rolle i fornyelsen af vores High Street.
- The Council backed efforts to save and improve the Roundhouse theatre as a community performing arts space in the Town. Siden 2005 the Roundhouse has given our young people especially a chance to perform, building confidence and laying foundations for their future well-being. Plans by Kent County Council to convert the building to offices would leave Dover as the only local town without a dedicated community performance space. Dover has enough empty office space to meet any need – but it has only got one theatre! The Roundhouse has already been officially listed as an Asset of Community Value and a petition to retain it has already attracted huge local support.
- Mulighederne for en ny ungdomscafé med offentligt tilgængelige toiletter i Bymidten undersøges. Unge mennesker har brug for et varmt og trygt sted at gå, hvor de kan socialisere – og alle, vi har brug for toilettet nu og igen!
I fortiden 2 år har Rådet fokuseret støtte på dem, der lider under fødevarefattigdom, hjemløshed og manglende adgang til internettet, der understøtter Dover Outreach, Dover Food Pantry, og levere madkurve og bærbare computere til husholdninger for at sikre, at børn fortsat kan få adgang til skoletimer derhjemme.
Nu i 2022 – og lige så vigtigt – the Council resolved to move forward with these new and ambitious projects to making sure that Dovorians have the community infrastructure and facilities they need and deserve.