What’s the economic future of Thame?

A PLAN to ensure the future economic health of Thame should include better facilities for young people, a community centre and facilities to attract visitors to the town.
These are just some of the findings presented to the town council on Tuesday (24/02/09) by economic development officers from South Oxfordshire District Council.

The Market Town Action Plan For Thame, designed to help “create vibrant market conditions” in the town is all part of a strategy to help the three struggling market towns in South Oxfordshire. It has been arrived at following a series of local events and feedback from workshops involving all interested groups or ‘stakeholders’ across the district.

It was made clear that the priorities for the next three years, starting in April 2009, were for the district council to work with partnerships and higher bodies through training and other events, and using consultants, to gather data about who visits Thame, why they come, what makes Thame distinctive from other towns, what are its good qualities and its weaknesses and to look at economic indicators of the town’s economic health.

A Town Centre Co-ordinator is to be employed for the three market towns, Thame, Henley and Wallingford to look at things like a possible Mid-Somer Murders trail to attract visitors to Thame and Wallingford, and look at other ways of marketing the towns.

The cost of the initial actions are:

Tourism survey –