Inspired by the successful delivery of the Hereford City Business Improvement District (BID) and recommendations in the Herefordshire Sustainable Destination Management Plan (2018), a feasibility study undertaken in 2019 identified an opportunity to establish a county wide ‘destination’ BID.

A BID is developed and run by businesses and  is an arrangement where they and other contributing partners get together, decide what improvements they want to make in their destination, how they will manage these and what it will cost them. This all goes into a business plan which is voted on by all those who would have to pay a contribution to the delivery of the business plan (business rate paying business over an identified threshold defined in the plan). The BID lasts for a maximum of five years and must be able to demonstrate how it benefits the businesses that have funded it.

To date many BIDs across England have focussed on town or city centres, although a number of areas have now established them over a wider area such as coastal or rural areas forming tourism specific or ‘destination’ BIDs.  A destination BID tends to focus on supporting the visitor economy and wider retail.

Why in Herefordshire and why a Destination BID?

There is a timely opportunity to support the growth of the visitor economy (defined as hospitality, visitor attractions, accommodation and retail) in Herefordshire.  The county has a fantastic offer for both day and overnight visitors, able to compete with more recognised tourism destinations across the country, but there is limited awareness of what is available here at present.  Over the past 6 months a wide range of national media have identified Herefordshire to be a top 10 ‘staycation’ destination.  There is an opportunity for businesses in the county to benefit from increased trade through improving areas such as co-ordinated marketing, PR and visitor information, improvements to the experience/ place, and through enhancing the services such as developing workforce skills and availability.

The market towns across Herefordshire are critical to the local economy, both in terms of their offer to visitors but also to local residents as places for shopping, leisure, events and hospitality.  The role of all towns and city centres is changing, and we need to work together to ensure the towns remain attractive, vibrant places for trade.  The size of each of the market towns means that they are unlikely to be able to create a viable BID on their own (in terms of the numbers of potential levy paying businesses in any one town).  A county wide BID will provide a route to supporting the visitor economy and the wider retail sectors in all of the market towns and across the rural areas.