Coronavirus action plan - Update from DBNews

The Town Council continues its efforts to prepare Dartmouth for the gradual recovery of the towns economy.

A group of key stakeholders, led by Councillor Cathy Campos, is meeting (Zoom) every Monday to establish what actions are needed to get Dartmouth moving again as we emerge from the Covic-19 crisis. As an invited member of that group Dartmouth Business News is publishing an update on the progress we are making:

The Dartmouth Town Council website has been established as the principal source of community information on Covid-19. The site includes information on Government advice,  information for residents and businesses, Community support and Waste and Recycling advice.

You can visit their page by clicking on the shield:-

A list of jobs is being prepared for a Town tidy up which is provisionally scheduled to take place on the 27th June. This project will make the town as clean and attractive as possible to both visitors and residents alike.

The District and County Councillors are investigating the possibility of selected hospitality businesses trading out doors on, for instance the South embankment and Avenue Gardens. This will involve the use of traffic calming measures to ensure the safety of customers and  the creation of a set of social distancing rules for businesses that wish to take advantage of this scheme. This idea is still under discussion and the views of residents will be carefully considered when making any decisions.

Jo Butler from Visit South Devon is working on a comprehensive marketing plan for Dartmouth. This will include guidance on messaging the Dartmouth story for use on social media.   When this message is agreed it will be important for every business in Dartmouth to use this consistent message to reinforce the campaign and help Dartmouth outperform our West Country rivals. We believe stay-cations will be the norm for some time whilst flying is so restricted so the opportunity for Dartmouth is enormous. The group is searching for sources of funds to help put this message and campaign together. There will be an opportunity for businesses to give their advice and guidance to the team through a Zoom session, which is yet to be planned.

Social distancing restaurant in Amsterdam

One of the issues that is emerging is the need to understand what hospitality capacity will be available when the pubs, cafes and restaurants finally open for business.  The group believes there will be no problem getting the visitor numbers up but there might be a problem of capacity when those visitors finally get here. Obviously that will depend on government regulations on social distancing but the group will be asking businesses in this sector to provide information on their capacity levels asap.

Visit England and Discover Dartmouth have tool kits available to help businesses prepare for their opening and these will be made available as soon as possible.

If you have any thoughts or want to make a contribution to our deliberations please comment on this site or give your feedback to Councillor Cathy Campos at the Town Council. [email protected]

5 Comments

  1. Making the Town look welcoming is paramount, not just for potential visitors but to lift the spirits of residents and businesses alike.
    The volunteers from DARTMOUTH GREEN PARTNERSHIPS, relying entirely on sponsorship and donations, have gone the extra mile this year to ensure all the 100 baskets are planted and in prominent places and all the boats, troughs and street planters are looking good and in place around the town, early. We have even ensured the Guildhall is decked out with our plants too. AND all done by keeping to social distancing guidelines.
    Dartmouth must continue to uphold it’s reputation as a being florally attractive place to visit.
    If nothing else, these times have taught us all the importance of gardening and plants to keep people smiling and sane .

  2. I would strongly advise against greenhouses as portrayed in Amsterdam.
    Droplet dispersion generated by coughing or loud speech is almost instantaneous in the outdoors. A greenhouse is counter productive.

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