LymeLiving - OCTOBER 2026 - Edition_compressed (1) - Flipbook - Page 4
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COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
conversation
2026
2026
A
REGULAR market in Lyme
Regis, investment in town
bus shelters and installing a
8Changing Places9 facility.
These are the top three priorities
of local residents and businesses
who took part in our consultation
exercise, Community
Conversation.
Lyme Regis Town Council carries
out a major public consultation on
its future projects and objectives
every few years, with the last one
taking place in 2023.
The consultation aimed to gather
feedback on some ideas the
council already has and to invite
suggestions from the community,
helping the members to make
more informed decisions.
More than 200 people responded
to the consultation, with other
views and ideas gathered at inperson events, including an open
afternoon at Woodmead Halls,
visits to local schools, and
sessions at community hubs such
as Talking Café.
The suggestion for a regular
market in Theatre Square was the
most popular idea, with almost
85% of respondents supporting
this.
The council would like to make
the Cemetery Chapel more
accessible to residents and
visitors, including use for small
ceremonies, remembrance events
and heritage activities, and almost
71% of you supported this idea.
There was strong support for
more picnic benches in the town,
with one suggestion for
wheelchair-friendly seating, as
well as a majority in favour of a
digital Gateway Card, the
residents9 discount scheme which
currently relies on a physical
card.
Our ideas for a memorial tree in
the gardens, where residents can
remember loved ones with an
engraved stainless steel leaf, and
for a publicly-accessible boules
area in the seafront gardens were
also well supported.
Just over half of respondents
thought removing the precept,
the element of the council tax
paid to the town council, and a
town council app to help
residents better access local
services were a good idea.
The town council is already in
discussions with Dorset Council
about the use of Theatre Square,
and possibly Gun Cliff Walk, for a
weekly market.
Proposals to develop
environmental education
opportunities within the gardens,
such as interpretation boards,
nature trails, and interactive
features, and a new children9s
play area in the gardens also
received support from over half of
respondents.
Nearly 80% of you wanted to see
further investment in town bus
shelters, including upgraded
shelters and real-time passenger
information displays, while almost
75% of respondents supported a
8Changing Places9 facility, a larger,
more spacious and better
equipped toilet for people who
need extra support.
Some of your own ideas included
a splash zone in the gardens, a
sensory trail in the gardens,
better waste management, toilets
in Langmoor Gardens, extending
the two hours9 free parking for
residents, changing and shower
facilities for swimmers, extension
of the town bus service, and
secure lockers on the beach.
All the feedback and new ideas
will be considered by the council
as part of its 2027-28 budgetsetting process, which will
include agreeing projects for the
year.
Members will start these
discussions at the Full Council
meeting on Wednesday 14
October, when a draft budget will
be considered, with projects
being agreed at the Full Council
meeting on Wednesday 18
November.
