[Margaret Pilkington]

If I had a magic wand...I would
1) take us back to the time before the bus station was even thought of.
2) I would knock down the Peel Street side of the market..including the very smelly fish stall( there is only one now)
3) the stalls that had been accommodated on the Peel St side of the market would be located inside the market hall.
4) the Bus station would be built on the land that used to have the Peel St bit of market on it.
5) Broadway would still be free for the occasional continental markets.
6) the front of the market hall would be a town sqaure that all the powers that be seem to think this town needs(more than it needs viable businesses and traders).

I would have markets every day if the stalls could be filled(it seems that the flea markets are better attended and there are more stalls than on regular market days) after all stalls that are tenanted are bringing in revenue for the council and bringing trade which benefits the local economy.
Those folk coming to the flea markets may buy a coffee and a sandwich or they may buy nothing at all, but if they see a market that has lots of people looking at the stalls it would do much to banish the tumbleweed feel of the town.
I am sure that many of these things are not just down to money, because if they could spend 4.6million quid on something that no-one wanted, wasn't needed and is in the wrong place(just my opinion you understand) then there surely would have been money to do these lesser tweaks.....which would have been more sensible and would have actually benefitted the town. But it seems we have a planners who couldn't give a flying fig about what happens to the place as long as there are spaces for folk to park their cars on Peel St...though once they are here in their cars, there will be nothing worthwhile for them to buy or see.


Alas, I have no magic wand, I have no influence over the way the town is being ground underfoot(despite using my vote).
I only have the vision of how it might have been.