Residents share their hopes for Whitehaven at packed public meeting

About 150 people gathered in Whitehaven Civic Hall on Thursday for a meeting which aimed to set out a masterplan to transform the struggling high street.

It was organised by the Labour candidate for Whitehaven and Workington, Josh MacAlister, alongside the deputy leader of Cumberland Council, Emma Williamson.

Mr MacAlister said the ‘fantastic turnout’ was a reflection of ‘how much people love the town’ and ‘how much people want it to improve’.

He said: “It’s not a new question, how we improve the town. There have been lots of previous attempts but there is a very strong sense that people in Whitehaven are fed up of the town not meeting the brilliant opportunities it should be providing.

“We need to do something different because there is a lot of potential and energy for change. We’ve just not quite managed to get Whitehaven to where it needs to be.”

Mr MacAlister said a resident survey had revealed that the thing people love most about the town is the harbour. The town’s history, its people and the Georgian architecture were also important factors.

The survey also revealed that people want to see more independent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, and more festivals, events and family-friendly activities.

Mr MacAlister said the number one improvement people wanted to see was public toilets. Residents said they also wanted more regular street cleaning, visible policing, action to bring down rents and rates, and a better join-up between the harbour and town centre.

About 150 people attended the meeting held at Whitehaven Civic Hall on Thursday (Image: Submitted)

Cllr Williamson said: “The town centre is really important, not just to me as a councillor, but to me as a resident.

“It’s absolutely devastating to walk around the town centre and see empty shops, grot spots, all the things that have been underinvested in.

“I see our job, as Cumberland, a responsibility to create a masterplan for Whitehaven. Some of the key things are around improving the look of Whitehaven, the functionality, improving the town centre offer.

“We can’t do this alone.

“The high street is changing. We need to decide what type of town we are. We’re not going to bring Primark or retail like that but there are things we can do.

“Diversifying the look of the offer in our town is really important.”

Sean Parnaby, chairman of the Maryport business group, urged Whitehaven residents to ‘take control’ of decision-making in the town.

He said: “In Maryport, we set up a business group with 360 businesses. We set up the town board and we invited Cumberland Council to join us.

“We wanted it done our way. The community in Maryport was torn apart when the swimming pool was pulled. It was a political game.

“I wrote to the minister, asking for the money to be left to the town. We’ve taken control over what goes on in our town.

“It’s a different way of looking at things. If you take control yourself, you’ll find it’s a lot better.”

Josh MacAlister, the Labour candidate for Whitehaven and Workington, has pledged to set up a town centre taskforce group with key stakeholders, if he is elected (Image: Submitted)

Mr Parnaby also outlined his vision to promote the Cumbrian coast as a place to visit.

He said: “One of the problems I have, is everything is done in isolation. Whitehaven does things in isolation of Maryport.

“We seem to forget that right down this coast, from Silloth to Millom, we’ve got a fantastic strip.

“We’d like to join together with Silloth, Whitehaven, Millom, St Bees and put a document together saying let’s visit the coast.”

Mr Parnaby referred to a recently published destination management plan for Cumbria which he says promotes visiting the Lake District and market towns.

He said: “We seem to forget our councillors are working for us – not the other way round.

“We want to run a reverse campaign which should say the Lake District is full – come and visit the coast.”

Gordon Smith, a former Whitehaven resident, said: “Anything worthwhile doing to the town is money well spent. It’s one of those towns where you look at it and say, we can transform it.

“It’s got the raw materials – it’s got the harbour, it’s got the location, it’s got the Georgian architecture. Whitehaven is unique in terms of the potential it’s got.

“It’s very frustrating over the decades we’ve had so many reports, we’ve had the word ‘transformative’ ideas for the town.

“You look at The Bus Station and The Edge – these projects cost many millions of pounds. One thing I haven’t heard this evening is where that is going to come from.”

Steve Nicholson, who has lived in Whitehaven all his life, said: “We need to be ambitious. This could be the west coast Riviera. When you go to Spain and Portugal, they don’t stop you from having a glass of wine at the harbour after 9pm but we do.

“We’ve got a big plot of land opposite Wetherspoons that looks on to the harbour. We need to encourage an investor into the town to come and build a hotel there. We need to develop North Shore as well.”

Mike Monroe, a Cleator Moor resident, said: “It always surprises me that Whitehaven doesn’t exploit its American connections more. George Washington’s maternal grandmother is buried in St Nicholas’ and we’ve got the John Paul Jones connection and the Rum Story.”

Len Jones, a Whitehaven resident for over 36 years, said: “I think everybody in this room would like to see the regeneration of Whitehaven.

“The old Whittles shop on the corner has been beautifully boarded up for 18 months. Next-door, The Waverley Hotel is on the market. What’s likely to happen to that?

“We’ve got beautiful, old buildings that are crumbling in front of our eyes and we’re not taking the advantage that we could.”

If elected, Mr MacAlister has pledged to set up a town centre taskforce bringing together key stakeholders and working with them to deliver a ‘bold and ambitious’ masterplan for the town, building on ideas put forward by residents and businesses.