Recognising the changes affecting rural areas in recent years (including CAP reform, globalisation, demographic and lifestyle changes and environment concerns), this project sought to put forward a ‘vision for rural Northumberland for the next five years’

• Project Dates: 2002 - 2003 (6 months)
• Project Leader: Philip Lowe
• Staff: Philip Lowe, Jeremy Phillipson and Terry Carroll (this project was led by Shared Intelligence)
• Sponsors: Northumberland Strategic Partnership

The project focused on providing the overall direction for rural development activity and a framework to guide economic, social and environmental regeneration in rural Northumberland over that period. The Northumberland Rural Strategy (available here) was set in the context of the North East Rural Action Plan (available here) which set out an ambitious ‘2020 Vision’ of the countryside. More specifically, the Strategy and accompanying Action Plan:

• Articulate a vision for rural Northumberland as a place to live, work and visit in 2023;
• Identify the step-change in performance and delivery that will be required to realise these aspirations;
• Set out the policy objectives, priority programmes and projects essential to achieving the vision;
• Identify the capacity for delivery and the resources (existing and additional) that will be required for implementation.