Bude-Stratton Town Council commissioned LUC to prepare a Town Centre Vision and Investment Plan for the Bude Town Centre Vitality Project.

LUC gathered insights from stakeholders and the community to identify both successful aspects and areas for improvement within the town.

The project aimed to ensure that Bude town centre can evolve to meet changing patterns of use. In today's rapidly advancing digital landscape, this meant balancing the preservation of tradition with modern adjustments, including:

• offering the community and its visitors a welcoming, accessible, diverse and vibrant experience
• animating the town centre by making better use of buildings and spaces for year-round activity

Bude's location on the landscape's edge required the Vision and Investment plan to prioritise climate resilience, aiming to create a healthier, greener town.

LUC succeeded in ensuring the involvement of residents and the business community from the outset.

We achieved this by developing a comprehensive stakeholder and community consultation strategy that continued throughout the project.

The team focussed on overlooked groups such as teenagers and older residents. These groups are often passionate about Bude, but are frequently forced to leave to find economic opportunity elsewhere.

To realise the community-led vision, we focussed on;

• improving the arrival experience in the town;
• promoting and encouraging active travel;
• improving access to green open spaces and the coastline;
• diversifying the local economy;
• improving wider accessibility and connectivity;
• creating opportunities for younger people; and
• enhancing place and the local identity.

Achieving Bude’s vision will be a result of the sum of many projects, big and small.

Through a series of defined Investment Programmes, the revitalised future town centre will provide an inclusive and distinctive experience for residents and visitors alike.

This approach supports the ongoing growth of local businesses, particularly in the fast-growing tech and creative sectors.

Bude aims to evolve into a resilient, adaptable coastal community with streets and spaces that provide a forum for working, eating, and drinking.

This will allow Bude to serve as a gateway to the wild coast of North Cornwall.