Bid review

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2009 -2013

www.roystonfirst.com

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02 Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013

What’s been achieved since 2009?

Improved security measures

4 More police patrols on the industrial estate (now in 4th year) 4 Friday and Saturday night town centre patrols (in 4th year) 4 Installation of CCTV facilities CCTV cilities fa 4 ANPR cameras 4 Equipment and training to secure use of Quad Bike for Royston

Enhancements to the retail environment

4 Revamped Angel Pavement shopping area 4 Pigeon control schemes (3rd scheme in progress) 4 Window dressing of empty shops (a dozen shops completed over the years) 4 Complete replacement and extension of annual Christmas Lights

Pigeon control schemes

Town centre promotions

4 Free-After-3 and Scratch Card parking schemes (now in 3rd year) 4 Glittering Christmas lights 4 Funding for local events 4 Royston Focus launched to 15,500 local homes (3 issues to date) 4 Attraction of Knibb’s Meatsafe and Avellino’s Delicatessen to the town

Support of community schemes

4 Royston Open Secrets (annual) 4 Royston Medieval Festival 4 Royston Christmas Carnival & Rudolf's Trail (annual) 4 Royston Means Business 4 Royston Arts Festival (annual) 4 Royston Easter Chocolate Trail (annual) 4 Royston in Bloom 4 Royston May Fayre (annual) 4 Burns Road drop-in youth club

Knibb’s Meatsafe

Avellino’s Delicatessen

Showcase infrastructure project

4 New cinema: Royston Picture Palace

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Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013 03

Success Stories Royston Policing - Operation Artemis At the start of the BID 2009, we teamed up with Royston Police with the aim of making Royston a safer and more secure place to run a business, go shopping and enjoy a night out. Since the start of the collaboration, overall reported crime figures have dropped by 25%.

Two key areas of reported crime targetted by Operation Artemis have been anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. The 680 dramatic impact of our late night uniformed patrols are shown in the statistics: 527 680

356

2010 - 2011

2011 - 2012 527

2012 - 2013

356 2010 - 2011

2011 - 2012

2012 - 2013

Anti-social behaviour 158 127 102

158 2010 - 2011

2011 - 2012

127

2012 - 2013

Criminal damage 102 2010 - 2011

2011 - 2012

2012 - 2013

At the same time, our introduction of ANPR cameras has proved a significant tool in helping to reduce burglaries.

Described by Royston Police as “a superb tool for us in investigating and preventing crime”, the ANPR cameras have helped reduce crime levels on Royston Industrial Estate to just one or two per year.

“ Over the last 4 years Royston First and Royston Police have done some excellent work together. The highlights have to be Operation Artemis and the ANPR system. Both these initiatives have made big differences to the safety of everyone in the town.”

Sgt Jon Vine, Royston Police

Royston Improvements Schemes to improve Royston include the refurbishment of Angel Pavement. From a low of just 50% occupancy, this area now rarely exhibits more than one or two empty units.

The Angel Pavement project was jointly funded with NHDC and HCC. Initial capital input from Royston First has succeeded in attracting over £1/4 M during the first four years of the BID.

Angel pavement refurbishment

Free Parking Schemes The Free-After-Three and Free Parking Scratch Cards distributed to businesses around the town are among initiatives to attract more shoppers into Royston's town centre.

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04 Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013

Angel pavement

The BID’s Journey...

The BID’s journey includes many notable highlights and achievements, many only made possible by the securing of ‘match-funding’ monies from external fund holders.

4 Royston First website launched.

February ‘07

4 Match-funding of £1,650 secured for regular pigeon control measures on High Street.

4 New shuttle bus service launched to carry workers between industrial estate and Town Centre.

62% RATEABLE VALUE

4 Formation of Royston First BID, a not-for-profit company to administer the BID.

4 Working parties established from local businesses and organisations to manage BID operations.

July ‘09 4 Operation Artemis launched, providing ongoing additional town centre & industrial estate police patrols on Friday & Saturday nights.

4 Budget approved for installation of new Christmas lights.

July ‘09

4 Windows of former Woolworths store dressed with displays of Royston scenes.

January ‘10

December ‘10

New Christmas lights

PALACE

PALACE

4 Feasibility study into potential new cinema venues.

September‘09

PICTURE

PALACE

4 Discussions commence with potential suppliers.

PICTURE

PALACE

November ‘10

4 ANPR cameras installed around Royston allowing police tracking of suspect crime-related vehicles.

Easter ‘10

PICTURE

PICTURE

ROYSTON

PICTURE

ROYSTON

May ‘09

August ‘10

4 Disabled lift and toilets approved by Council.

4 New cinema concept pitched to Town Council.

Photo by John Balodis

4 New ’pin striping‘ Christmas lights introduced on buildings adjacent to A10.

March ‘10

January ‘10

ROYSTON

NUMBER OF VOTES CAST

4 First annual Royston footfall survey conducted in town centre on weekday and weekend.

4 Windows of former Powerhouse store dressed with work by Royston Photographic Society.

2010 April ‘09

4 Royston Businesses vote in favour of a BID.

Work in progress

April ‘10

October ‘09

2009

December ‘08

4 Royston First subsidises Town Centre arrival of butchers - Knibbs Meatsafe.

4 Match-funding of c.£13k secured from Chamber of Commerce and Brian Racher Trust to install new Christmas lights.

June ‘09

2007 2008

61%

4 Brand new CCTV mast installed on industrial estate to prevent theft from industrial premises.

ROYSTON

4 Concept of Business Improvement District introduced. Feasibility study conducted.

Knibbs Meatsafe

ROYSTON

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PALACE

4 Surveys conducted by Town Council.

4 Match-funding of £4.7k delivered to Royston Leisure Centre to fund Sports Activity week.

Window dressing

W

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Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013 05

4 Royston First seed funds inaugural ’Open Secrets‘ event.

4 Hall floor strengthened.

September ‘11

4 Free-After-3 parking initiative extended for second year.

April ‘12

ROYSTON

October ‘12

2012

2011 May ‘11

4 First issue of Royston Update newsletter circulated to 15,500 households in Royston and villages.

4 First parking scratch cards introduced offering 1 hour of free parking in NHDC car parks.

December ‘11

4 Rudolph‘s Christmas Trail introduced to supplement the Royston Christmas Carnival.

4 Use of new fire gel pigeon deterrent successfully trialled on public buildings.

February ‘13

4 Gala Launch of new Royston Picture Palace.

July ‘13

Gala Launch

PICTURE

PALACE

2013 September ‘12

4 Further new directional and welcome signs installed at both approaches to industrial estate.

4 Medieval Festival staged to coincide with the 850th anniversary of Royston Priory.

December ‘12

4 £8.5k funding delivered for new Christmas lights for Fish Hill Square.

4 Rudolph's Trail runs for a second year and Christmas lights switchon by the Mayor introduced.

December ‘12

April ‘13

4 Free-After-3 parking initiative renewed for third year.

Free-After-3 Parking

April ‘13

February ‘12

PICTURE

PALACE

4 “Boutique” approach halted due to practicalities.

PALACE

May ‘13

PICTURE

PALACE

March ‘13

PICTURE

4 First trial screening to test technology and procedures.

PICTURE

PALACE

4 Second trial screening successfully completed.

4 'First Fix' projection and sound systems completed.

October ‘11 4 Second issue of Royston Focus distributed to 15,500 households, featuring new businesses.

PALACE

ROYSTON

4 Major information signage installed in industrial estate.

4 Third Royston Focus circulated to 15,500 households in new format featuring business listings.

1

PICTURE

ROYSTON

PALACE

JULY

ROYSTON

August ‘11

February ‘13

ROYSTON

PICTURE

4 Custom-built seating installed.

PICTURE

ROYSTON

February ‘11

August ‘12

ROYSTON

4 Angel Pavement refurbishment commences with matchfunding of £25k from NHDC and £22k from HCC Vibrant Towns fund.

4 Business plan confirms cinema to be staffed by volunteers.

ROYSTON

PALACE

Industrial Estate Signage

ROYSTON

PICTURE

ROYSTON

January ‘11

PALACE

4 Royston First and Royston Rampage negotiate to control events. Operation Artemis provide patrols.

Work completed

4 Plans for “boutique cinema” agreed.

PICTURE

August ‘12

July ‘11

PALACE

4 Training commences for new cinema volunteers.

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06 Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013

Royston Picture Palace The community cinema is the single largest budgeted item to be realised in the five years of the Royston First BID.

View from the stage looking out to m the auditoria

View from m the auditoria ds looking towar the stage

Here’s how it came into being after 2 years of design and planning:

Stage to Screen In 2011 the plans for installing a state-of-the-art digital cinema into the first floor of the Town Hall began to take shape. The vision was to provide Royston with a community cinema that would benefit the whole town.

Over the next 18 months, the project to create what became Royston Picture Palace progressed through: a complete refurbishment of the Town Hall; the building of a projection pod; and culminating with the installation of a digital projection/sound system with a retracting 7m screen.

All Systems Go! A series of trial screenings was held during April and May 2013.

All the cinema technology and ticketing systems were tested and the volunteers were put through their paces with a screening to a live audience.

Response from audience and local press alike was overwhelmingly positive!

View of the seating from the top of the steps

Technically Advanced The new state-of-the-art cinema equipment includes a Barco digital projector, a Dolby server and 17 speaker sound system.

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Royston First | BID Review | 2009-2013 07

Gala launch The official launch was marked with a showing of The Great Gatsby on Monday 1st July 2013.

Just two years after the original plan was conceived, Royston once again has its very own community cinema, The Royston Picture Palace.

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ROYSTON F1RST c/o Town Hall Melbourn Street Royston SG8 7DA t 01763 878 242 e info@roystonfirst.com

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