Client: Gravesham Borough Council 

Project: Evening and Night-time Economy Workshops

What were MAKE asked to do?

Gravesham, located on the River Thames and not far from the outskirts of London, was facing challenges around regenerating the town centre of its main settlement, Gravesend, famous for its associations with Charles Dickens and Pocahontas. The council asked the MAKE team to workshop ideas for diversifying and growing the town’s evening and night-time economy.

How did MAKE do it?

• The workshop brought together key council departments and town centre stakeholders.

• MAKE’s founder Alistair Turnham ran the day, beginning with a presentation of the latest thinking on the evening and night-time economy.

• We created structured sessions explored the specific conditions and unique qualities of the town and its evening and night-time economy within a local and regional framework of growth, diversification, licensing, transport, planning and competition. 

What happened next?

The outcomes were fed into the new local plan for the borough and quick wins around cleansing, licensee engagement and lighting were taken back and acted upon by the stakeholders present. 

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

We are longstanding believers that smaller towns also deserve a first-rate evening and night-time economy, not just major cities. Because we have worked with many small towns we understand the limitations and what is possible – often it is about transport later into the evening and creating meaningful activities that attract groups beyond the usual 18-25 year olds. In this case, we were able to convince the borough to give 6pm to 6am (or at least 3am) the same value as 6am to 6pm.