The Town Centre Regeneration Strategy puts put people first, making Rugby town centre a place where people want to live, and socialise. It also promotes resilience and investment, with a strong daytime and night-time economy, a culture of entrepreneurship, and a thriving hub of independent and national-brand businesses.

It will guide investment and change in the town centre over the next 15 years, creating a framework for improvements to how people move around the town centre. There are also sections covering the look and feel of public realm and open spaces, appropriate development to support the town centre, and an action plan for delivering in the short, medium and longer term.

Local businesses, landowners, stakeholders and residents have all been consulted over the last two years and have all shown positive support for the ideas and aspirations of the Strategy. 

The Strategy includes key development sites and projects for investment and regeneration alongside projects such as the potential rationalisation of the town hall site and the area around Rugby Central.  Other projects include improvements to Rugby market and changes to key town centre streets and links to the station to make the town centre more attractive and accessible.

Cllr Ian Picker, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for growth and investment, said: "Our town centre will still need a strong retail offer, but this strategy will deliver far more of the sort of independent retailers we  currently have in Regent Quarter.

We will look to significantly increase the range of restaurants, bars and other places of entertainment, along with enhanced areas of public spaces to ensure that our town centre becomes a place where people come to meet and enjoy themselves.   

Cllr Seb Lowe, Leader of Rugby Borough Council, said: "Towns of our size up and down the country face exactly the same issues as changing shopping habits change what were once thriving retail hubs.

"But whilst our problems are not unusual, it has long been my belief that the strengths of this borough place us in a far, far stronger position than most to tackle those problems.

It is my firm belief that this regeneration strategy offers a comprehensive solution to the issues we face in our town centre - a solution that is right for Rugby."

The Rugby Town Centre Regeneration Strategy was adopted by the council at its meeting held on 14 December. It can be downloaded at www.rugby.gov.uk/regeneration.