Quote:
Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington
No-one in their right mind would travel to see something which is such a shambles of a market.......well of course unless they were on a fact finding mission on how NOT to do it.
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Quite right, Margaret...perhaps the bigwigs of the council could travel to Bury market on a fact finding mission to see how it SHOULD be done.
The only time I see Accy market is Saturday lunchtimes on home matchdays and I find it a thoroughly depressing experience...semi-deserted with empty stalls and a general atmosphere of despondency. The lack of shoppers on the market and in the town centre in general for what should be the busiest day of the week is amazing - you'd see more on a wet Monday afternoon back in the old days.
At the other end of the spectrum, I visited Bury market for the first time a few months ago and I was amazed - large, busy, bustling, with a plethora of well-stocked stalls and shops offering something for everyone. And as for the old excuse about Blackburn and Burnley being too close, Bury market is a 20 minute tram ride from downtown Manchester and still manages to thrive in the face of such stiff competition.
The ultimate irony is that Accrington has more potential to offer an enjoyable shopping environment than most - unlike many towns, we have preserved our Victorian market hall, along with a handsome shopping arcade and areas that could be rich in appeal like Warner Street. Unfortunately, it's all been wasted due to a lack of vision and sheer ineptitude and as an Accy lad, that makes me very sad.
