Citizens' Assembly 2024
The Citizens Assembly was established to help shape the future of the town and decide what community facilities are needed now and in years to come within the scope of the South of Romsey Town Centre. A series of recommendations for what should be included in future community facilities were put forward by the Assembly, informed by discussions with users of community facilities in the town. Three site options for where future community facilities could be located were also considered by the Assembly. These were:
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The bus station site (including Broadwater Road car park)
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The Crosfield Hall site
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The Rapids site
In December 2024, the draft report was shared with all assembly participants to ask for their feedback on the draft report and confirm that this reflected the views and recommendations of the assembly. The final report detailing the outcomes of the 2024 Citizens’ Assembly has been prepared by Thinks Insight and Strategy and can be viewed here:
The outcomes of the 2024 Citizens’ Assembly form an important part of an options appraisal process being undertaken by Romsey Future and Test Valley Borough Council to inform the future of community facility provision for Romsey town centre and the wider South of Romsey Town Centre masterplan. The Council has commissioned a financial appraisal and cost benefit analysis of the three site options considered by the Assembly. The outcome of this work will feed into the decision-making process that will be undertaken by Councillors in respect of future community facility provision and other facilities for the town. A decision is expected in summer 2025.
Session recaps
Session one and two - July 2024
Two fantastic sessions were held at the end of July to open the Romsey citizens' assembly 2024.
The 36 participants took part in a number of workshops and received presentations highlighting the current community facilities in Romsey. The group were randomly selected to ensure the citizens' assembly was demographically representative of the town. The assembly were asked to discuss Romsey citizens’ needs, desires, and expectations for community facilities in the area south of the town centre.
Speakers from different community groups across the town were invited to present their findings from their pre-engagement workshops to the citizens' assembly. This included groups in the town such as the Disabled People Partnership, Chamber of Commerce and Romsey and District Society. The outcomes of the pre-engagement workshops were turned into mind maps which highlighted the common themes that emerged from each session. You can see the final mind maps below. This was an opportunity for the citizens assembly to learn more about the different needs and experiences of current community facilities.
The citizens' assembly then developed principles for what is required from community facilities in the town, which will be given to specialist designers who will develop and provide options to the group in the September sessions.
Session three - September 2024
After a break over the summer, the citizens' assembly returned at the end of September 2024 for session three. Joining this session was architect Geoff Shearcroft from AOC Architecture who gave the assembly some background and context to his experience in designing community facilities and what his role in this project would be.
Following this, each breakout group looked at the longlist of criteria people would like from community facilities in Romsey, which was produced during the first two sessions. Each table marked what criteria would be essential so a shorter list of recommendations could be put forward.
The council's planning team gave the assembly an overview of the factors that need to be considered when any recommendations are made. This included things like land ownership, parking demand, retail demand etc. The group were given a summary of the car park and retail studies to ensure they were fully informed on what restraints are already in place in Romsey.
Geoff presented the group with three potential locations for where a new community facility could be in Romsey. Each group spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of each location, considering the essential criteria discussed earlier in the session. Geoff then introduced options for what size and type of facilities could fit in each potential location, for groups to talk about the positives and negatives for each idea. The group provided recommendations for the final session in October.
Session four - October 2024
At the beginning of October, the group gathered for the fourth and final session of the Romsey citizens' assembly 2024. This was the final chance for the assembly to put together a set of recommendations for what community facilities should look like in Romsey. Joining the session, once again, was architect Geoff Shearcroft. The evening started with Geoff answering any questions the assembly had from the previous session around the design of the potential locations. He then introduced the refined designs that were created following discussions in the previous session. The assembly were asked to give their feedback to the refined designs and discuss in their small groups what they like and dislike about them and why.
The final part of the session saw the group consider all the evidence heard throughout the first three sessions, including the lived experience workshops, the criteria and the constraints. Each participant decided on a preferred option for the location of a potential new community facility and then fed back their thoughts to the rest of the group. This formed a list of recommendations the citizens assembly are putting forward, which will be presented to Romsey Future.
