ye it is chav and it's fantastic if it's busy, but terrible if it's not.
I've been to the markets down london, they are amazing, I've been to the largest permanent market too at ingoldmells, and to our famous bank holiday market at polesworth, people travel from all over the uk to get to that one.
I think, that because markets are out of fashion, unless you've managed to keep a good one going well throught the hard times then you've got no chance. You've go a nice market hall, problem is it's now isolated from the main street down an alley. The arndale should have adjoined that, like the market is under the shopping centre in stoke. Your fighting a losing battle against blackburn burnley and bury and I don't think you'll ever catch up now. Thats down to your council. you've got poor shops (not my opinion) no outdoor market but a good indoor market.
What Accrington needs is a forum, and a town manager like we're setting up here. Councils can't be trusted to promote a town or do whats best to promote it, it needs people that are actually involved in the town centre to get involved.
Then you can all get involved too if you want, put ideas forward for things, go for grants without the council, but with the councils backing. Shop keepers need to get involved.
You all seem to lack ideas, I put a thread up, ideas to inspire the world, but no posts, this is what I meant
http://www.coventryinspires.co.uk/ideas/index.htm.