For many years Totnes Town Council via it’s Tourism brand ‘Visit Totnes’ has received feedback that the town signage is confusing and insufficient in many areas. Councillors are keen to improve the visitor experience and ensure all areas of the town are clearly mapped and things like encouraging walking and green travel options is a priority.
Totnes Town Council commissioned Perch & Ponder, a strategic, design-led consultancy service for people focused interpretation and wayfinding projects, to undertake an audit of the town’s current signage. Perch & Ponder produced a report outlining their recommendations for improvements including where new signage should go and what the design could look like.
Dave Tonkin, Director of Perch & Ponder said, ‘The aim of the project is for visitors to the town to have a more relaxing, fulfilling and enjoyable experience resulting in them spending more time and money in town, being more inclined to share positive remarks & photos via social media and word of mouth, and leaving feeling better informed about the area’s history & heritage, local businesses & sustainability”.
The principles that Perch & Ponder have set out are:
· Make the best use of off-the-shelf and bespoke options that are adaptable, long lasting and easy to manufacture.
· Ensure that updates can be made efficiently, considering ease and cost of updates, as well as material use.
· Use systems which allow a variety of materials to adapt to the different settings within Totnes – from shopping areas, to the river.
· Use systems which can be added to consistently over time – ideas include having panels that local children could design, heritage or arts trails
We are now at a stage where we would like feedback from the local community to highlight your thoughts on the existing signage currently in town, what improvements can be made, what areas in town would benefit from improved signage and which of the proposed designs people prefer.
The community consultation will be open until 30 November. You can view the designs and pick up a postcard at the library or click on the link here to submit your feedback via Survey Monkey (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/W738LDX). The team from Perch and Ponder will also be at the Friday Market in Totnes on 19th November 2021 to answer any questions.
Once the feedback has been received from this consultation it will be considered by Full Council on Monday 6th December 2021.
Next stages then include obtaining permission from Devon County and South Hams District Council, contacting local companies inviting them to tender for the production and installation of the signage and then aiming to start the installation March – April 2022 to ensure the first phase of improvements are in place for the 2022 visitor season.