Who we are:

The Penrith Civic Society started in June 1969 following concerns about the future of Penrith which seemed left in a backwater once the M6 had been constructed, removing much of the traffic formerly passing through the town. Since that time numbers in the society have reduced somewhat, but there are still concerns facing Penrith as to its future and how to sustain a market town of this size, facing all the pressures of the 21st Century, commercial and political.

What we do:

Our objectives when we were setup were:

• To encourage and promote high standards of architecture and town planning in Penrith;
• To stimulate public interest in, and care for, the beauty, history and character of the town and its surroundings;
• To encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity or historic interest;
• To pursue these ends by means of meetings, exhibitions, lectures, publications, other forms of instruction and publicity and promotion of schemes of a charitable nature.

We have bi-monthly management meetings to consider active planning and development issues facing the town, such as the large Penrith New Squares proposal for the South side of the town centre area, and the future prosperity of the remaining central and North areas which are in danger of stagnation following this development. Come along and see what we do!

We are active members of the Vitality of Penrith Group and support their work in promoting the interests of the town. We engage with the Eden District Council in planning matters and in proposals for town improvement schemes of various kinds such as access for the disabled and the design and finish of shop fronts in the town.