General Assembly

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council

CLOSING REMARKS FOR NORTH SEA COMMISSION 11th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

DUNSTON HALL, THURSDAY 20 JUNE, 12.30pm

Mr President, Ladies and Gentleman Firstly I would like to thank all our speakers this morning for their contributions to a very interesting debate. The Leader of the Council, Mrs King, has already pointed out the significance of tourism and the cultural industries to the Norfolk economy. As an active member of the North Sea Commission's Culture & Tourism Group, we are particularly pleased to have this 11th General Assembly focused on two issues of such importance to us. The significance of these issues to the UK as a whole has also been underlined by the presence of the Minister for Tourism, Dr Kim Howells, this morning, and we are grateful to him for fitting this conference into his schedule.

This week has in fact been something of a 'cultural tourism week' in Norfolk, with the seminar earlier this week, which some of you will have attended, focusing on practical ways of using culture to promote visitor numbers, and a conference for local practitioners also taking place today. We have also recently launched a new internet-based facility that provides a single web-site listing a wide range of events taking place in the County. The Norfolk Events' Database accepts free listings of events from any organisers - with only minimal controls relating to legality and decency - in order to support local promoters.

This afternoon you will be seeing some more of Norfolk on your various study tours. We believe that we have found a range of destinations for you which will not only be highly relevant to the work of your Working Groups, but also will give you a good feel for Norfolk and its economy, environment, education facilities, and indeed culture.

We are particularly proud of 'The Forum', a major new building, designed by the architect Michael Hopkins, and housing the Central Library, together with learning facilities and a visitor attraction about the development of Norwich and Norfolk. This building, which replaces the central library destroyed by fire in 1993, is a good example of how Norfolk is making the most of its culture and simultaneously using opportunities to improve facilities and quality of life for local people. The latter aspect will be built upon by the Education & Research Study Tour in its' first study tour, which takes the issue of how to regenerate interest within the community in learning, innovative means of learning, and rekindling interest through free access to new technology.

Part of our culture in Norfolk is driven by our historical links with Scandinavia and the Low Countries. In Norfolk today we are working to rekindle these links and we have developing links with both the Province of Noord Holland and with Sør Trondelag in Norway. We are therefore especially pleased to welcome representatives of both those Regions to this conference. Those of you on the Transport & Communications Study Tour will see the work we are undertaking to improve our direct links to Holland with the building of a new ferry port at Great Yarmouth. Before I bring this morning's events to a close, I do have some practical announcements to make:

• Your lunch today will be served in the marquee.
  
• The national delegation meetings will take place as follows: 
  
  The Norwegian delegation in this room
  
  The Danish delgation in the Gleneagles
  
  Scotland in the Muirfield
  
  The Netherlands in the St Andrew's
  
  England in the Wentworth
  
  Belgium in the Garden Lounge bar
  
  Germany also in the Garden Lounge bar
  
  Sweden in the Garden Lounge conservatory (through the bar) .

A list of each of these meetings is available outside 

• We have a very busy programme of visits this afternoon, and I must therefore urge you to move promptly to the buses which will leave from the front of the building at 2.15 sharp 
  
• For those taking part in the Environment study tour I have an especially important announcement: would you all please make sure you make full use of the facilities here at Dunston Hall before you board your bus, as there are no toilets at your destination!

It only remains therefore, for me to thank you all once again for your attention this morning, and to wish you an enjoyable afternoon, a successful business meeting tomorrow, and, for those of you staying on, a sunny weekend for your visits around Norfolk.

Thank you.