Health, wellbeing and regeneration in coastal resorts

Health Impact Assessment, planning and regeneration

In 2008, Canterbury City Council issued a draft Area Action Plan (AAP) that set out a number of preferred options for the regeneration of Herne Bay.27 AAPs are part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) which is, in turn, the spatial expression of a local authority’s Sustainable Community Strategy. LDFs set the framework for planning and development in a local authority for 15–20 years.

AAPs provide a specific focus on a particular area: the majority of the Herne Bay AAP is in Heron ward which is one of five wards in Herne Bay.

NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent commissioned a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of the Herne Bay AAP.²⁸ The HIA had three objectives:

• appraise the potential positive and negative health and wellbeing impacts of the AAP on people who live and work in Herne Bay and those who visit the town;
  
• highlight potential differential distribution effects of health and wellbeing impacts among population groups by asking ‘who is affected’;
  
• suggest actions that aim to minimise potential negative health and wellbeing impacts and maximise potential positive health and wellbeing impacts of the AAP.

The HIA included policy analysis, a review of relevant literature, community profile and workshops and interviews with people living and working in Herne Bay. The HIA concludes with a Public Health Management Plan that lists the suggested actions and identifies the agencies with a potential role in delivering the actions. This was presented to the Local Strategic Partnership, the Canterbury Health and Wellbeing Partnership and the Neighbourhood Development Team.

Herne Bay is characterised by marked age polarization and relatively low numbers of people of working age. The AAP has a strong focus on business growth and local employment. The HIA concludes that this may help to encourage more people of working age to stay in the community, with social, economic and subsequently health benefits. The HIA emphasises the importance of local skills development and signposting in relation to new employment opportunities, including higher quality jobs for local people.

Some of the key findings include concerns that new employment may be of low quality and that any benefits may bypass local people and lower income groups, and that inter-group tensions could develop between those favouring conservation and those seeking innovation. The tensions would be inter-generational or between residents and tourists.

The HIA suggests using community development to determine an inclusive image and identity for Herne Bay. Integrating healthy lifestyle interventions with this work may contribute to mitigating potential impacts on health-related behaviour.

Since some of the recommendations concern education and training, the HIA has been shared with the Local Children’s Services Partnership, the Head and Senior Management Team of the main secondary school for the town, and other stakeholders. As a result of the HIA it is now accepted that the AAP is mainly directed towards the physical environment. Social issues have since been introduced and consolidated by an action plan that cuts across directorates. This was developed by the city council with full participation of the Primary Care Trust (PCT). This is long-term work. Progress will be monitored by the PCT’s Health and Wellbeing group (a partnership of city council, social services, voluntary sector and PCT representatives). The work-plan envisages a timescale of some years, as does the AAP.