A new study has been carried out in Kendal in efforts to discover what could be done to boost the town's night time economy - and has revealed what are being described as "some interesting findings".

A team of students from Lancaster University’s Management School led the research and spoke to more than 500 people both online and face to face.

Most people described the town as "quiet" in the evenings, although 71 per cent said the range of evening options in the town were "good" or "satisfactory".

Findings included the view that the town is "underrepresented" when compared to similar towns in terms of the number of cafes, restaurants, pubs and hotel rooms it supports.

Economic think-tank Kendal Futures says it hopes the findings can be used when considering the town's future developments.

The team also discussed the issues facing Kendal’s evening economy with local business owners, transport providers, local authority councillors and officers and other key organisations within the town.

They also identified national growth trends and compared Kendal to other destinations.

Kendal Futures engaged the team, with funding support from Kendal Town Council, to establish whether the perception of Kendal’s evening economy was accurate.

Martyn Nicholson, Chairman of Kendal Futures, said: “We were delighted to initiate this interesting project. We know that Kendal gets a lot right in the evenings.

"People love the Brewery Arts Centre and the scale of its offer and the town’s events and festivals are widely recognised.

"The town has seen several new pubs, bars and restaurants open recently but the research identifies that Kendal has greater potential and can take advantage of national trends to improve its evening economy.”

The research identifies several issues affecting Kendal’s evening economy and made several recommendations for improvement.

It was also found that there are no restaurants which are bookable on line via TripAdvisor or Open Table, and there was demand for more recognised brands or chains.

The research found that there is a need to reduce red tape to encourage easier shorter, more frequent events such as First Friday Arts Showcases and to aid new business development within the evening economy.

The need to improve leisure options for younger people and families with activities such as a bowling alley was also raised.

Other finding included:

- The need to encourage extended shopping hours to improve dwell time and spend in cafes and restaurants in the early evening.

- More evening buses and cheaper taxis or a shared taxi scheme would encourage more people to go out in the evening.

- Partnership working across the town is important to stimulate the evening economy and the report gives examples of promotions and campaigns from other areas, such as ‘Head out Not Home’.

Martyn Nicholson said: “The MBA team have produced some really good insights and findings but this is just the start.

"We hope this research will inspire the town’s partners to identify new projects and actions which will further increase the appeal of Kendal to local people, businesses and visitors and ultimately benefit our wider economy.

"Partnership working will be vital to ensure we can deliver the improvements identified over the short and long term.”