Residents are urged to take part in a walking tour to help the council identify its town's cultural and heritage highlights.

With help from residents, Bridport Town Council said it hopes it can identify what it wants to highlight and how it can go about celebrating Bridport's heritage in the future.

The walking tours will be led by Feria Urbanism, a design and planning practice that has been appointed by Bridport Town Council to support this Streetscape & Heritage Interpretation Study and will be held throughout the day on Tuesday, June 7, and Thursday, June 16.

The town council wants to hear from its own residents stories and ideas on the walking tour so that it can identify the most valued cultural and heritage highlights for future developments of the town centre.

The Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan (BANP) which contains a dedicated section with policies regarding the future management and development of the area defined as the centre of Bridport.

A key piece of work that the community volunteers involved in the BANP identified, but were unable to undertake or commission, was the need to review the functionality of the current streetscape/public realm and audit heritage interpretation. It is especially important, given the demography of the Town, to consider the needs of an ageing population and those with mobility issues.

A companion BANP Project study, published in 2021, considered Access & Movement in and around the centre of Bridport. The A&M study will inform the streetscape planning and heritage interpretation recommendations that flow from the proposed commission.

The ambition of the Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan is to consider a number of options to create a high-quality public realm throughout the Centre of Bridport. It will consider options for: reinforcing the distinct sense of place and unique identity of Bridport; prioritise walking and cycling around the Bridport area; reducing signage and street furniture clutter; promoting safe, secure, and accessible for all spaces; permeable, legible, and better-connected spaces; further developing the popular street market and outdoor events; improving weather protection and resting points for shoppers; promoting low carbon, natural materials, locally sourced where possible; and delivering good value for money.

The ambition of the heritage interpretation analysis is to provide coherent, coordinated and well-connected interpretation across the Bridport Area. It will consider options which will: encourage local communities to engage with, value and celebrate their heritage; help people to experience, understand and value heritage; promote sustainable visits to the town; better harnessing heritage to promote and support the local economy; and using sustainable natural materials that are durable, easy to maintain and compatible with a shift to a circular economy.

A final report is expected in September 2022.

To join a walking tour email amelia@feria-urbanism.com.

Anyone unable to attend the walking tour in person will be able to share their stories and ideas on a digital walking tour on Zoom on Wednesday, June 22 from 7.30pm to 9pm. Follow up sessions will be hosted in July.

For more information contact david.dixon@bridport-tc.gov.uk