CLIENT: West Lancashire District Council

PROJECT: Rural Towns Masterplan

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What were MAKE asked to do?

MAKE we were asked to provide an analysis of the borough’s rural economy and how this could be better supported to grow (in every sense).

How did MAKE do it?

  • We went much further than a typical spatial study. We wanted to uncover what made the area tick. Our concern was that the rural areas were in the shadow of funding received from the district’s main town. So we went and spoke to everyone we could – from farmers to hauliers; gallery owners to pub landlords and the migrant workers who power this economy.

  • We used firm level data to identify that that West Lancashire rural growing and making economy delivered more GVA than those of Cumbria and Cheshire . Yet why hadn’t the regional development agency included West Lancashire in their strategy. Why? Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say it’s because their data wasn’t as subtle or powerful as ours.

  • We built a report on rock solid evidence for the importance of the West Lancashire rural economy to the district (12% - the UK average is 0.7%), but also Lancashire and the North West as a region. It deserved more funding and better support from regional agencies. 

  • We created 30 recommendations. The most eye-catching was that West Lancashire should bid for a European DOC for its carrots which are unique in flavour because of the soil (the UK’s finest), yet were being sold into supermarket chains at the same price as produce that was massively inferior from other parts of the UK. 

What happened next?

Our work formed a key part of the borough’s economic development strategy and spatial plan. We highlighted a number of key physical sites in need of development briefs that had stood empty for too long (some are now live-work units), plans for commercialising the Leeds Liverpool Canal, introducing farmers markets and reducing traffic through certain villages.

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

Sometimes it takes an outsider to realise your potential. West Lancashire was performing hard but receiving too little for its industry. By selling direct to consumers and creating brand awareness (where none existed), the borough’s agricultural economy could create greater local prosperity, And, with the right tourist economy, we believed that the towns of Ormskirk and Burscough could draw day visitors from across the region. This increasingly proves to be the case.