And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Rejoice I say unto you. Rejoice and make merry in your hearts. No longer shall your Accrington lifestyle shopping experience be empty. No longer shall you trudge wearily through the streets dodging puddles and broken pavement. Be ye of good cheer beloved. For lo! Look to the east! A new star arises into the firmament and its name is.....(Cue swelling choral music and fanfares of trumpets)




Oh yea verily, my soul doth magnify the council, who of their great wisdom and benevolence have bestowed upon us this day the gift of a regenerated Broadway. What council is like unto the mighty and wise HBC? Let us fall down before them for we are not worthy to pay their council tax or their allowances or their expenses or their pensions and sundry other benefits like free car loans and health clubs.

In their great munificence they have decreed that gold beyond the measure of man will be pumped into our favorite shopping street.

Errrmmm, well, that's not actually true.

What they are actually going to spend is a paltry £250,000. To put this largesse into some sort of context for you, that is enough to buy three and one third terraced houses on Bold Street in Accrington or one modern three bedroom bungalow in Altham. Hardly wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, by anyones calculation!

Over the next sixteen weeks Broadway will be ripped up and re-surfaced with what the Observer describes as "A mixture of materials"; for which read brick setts and coloured tarmac.

Apparently in addition to benches and mobile flower pots they are going to replace the lamposts too. Gone are the days when you put a lampost up and it lasted for generations, ten years seems to be about the maximum these days. Incidentally, I checked with Dorset County Council, they cost around £500 each and £38.61 per year to run and maintain. Benches, 6 foot long, in teak, cost £300 retail (inc. delivery). Which leaves an awful lot left over for coloured tarmac and brick setts.

The Idiot-in-Chief is well pleased with himself and said: "Broadway is at the heart of the town centre and its refurbishment is a key priority. This is central to the well-being and re-vitalisation of Accrington, necessary for attracting inward investment and for creating a welcoming and attractive shopping eenvironment." So, it seems that our esteemed leader is convinced of the vital importance of Broadway and the need for it to look its very best.

Is that why they have gone for the bargain basement approach?


Actually an indication of how impressive this development is, is given by the decision of the Observer to tuck it away quietly on page eight.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

13 weeks? We'll see.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Ohhh I can hardly contain myself ....... roll on those 16 weeks.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

who cares about the french market we dont have to be nice to them anymore so all the niceties can end and send them back down the tunnel the next time they try coming here

we got the olymics

game over now :D


i am however curious as to what they mean by variouos materials will be used to cover broadway

we already have

tarmac

cobbles

concrete flagging

chewing gum

what else could they possible want to use

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I hope they’re going to invest in some rubbish bins and one of the road sweeping machines........How about some nice tree’s as well.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

how about giving the contract to a uk company

if i am correct they got contractors from abroad to do broadway the last time

apparently no one at all in the united kingdom knew how to lay cobbles

evidently neither did the foreighners they got in :rolleyes:

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Alas it has gone to foreigners again; J & R Moran of Blackburn.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I will wait with bated breath for the finished result/cock up....:D

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

it definatly needs a facelift, just shudder thinking of the final result.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I'm just dreading working with all the racket going on. I bet the noise will be unbearable.:(

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

We had all the benches, flower gardens and lamp post a few years ago. Are we supposed to feel grateful to the council once again.Talk about wasting money, they should have left well alone the last time. Another HBC cock up.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

ok ime giving 2-1 odds that HBC cock up and we end up with the usualy standard of work been done


picture is for humour illustation purpouses only and is not a true representation of the company

dont want sueing lol :D

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

This re-development is not before time. Broadway is supposed to be the focal point of Accrington town centre, but it does not portray a good image of the town. Perhaps it could be argued that Broadway, in its present state, merely reflects the true image of Accrington in general.

Why not refit Broadway as it was; with the benches for people to sit on, and the raised flower beds? Was it really necessary to tear it up in the first instance, when our 21st century??? shopping development was built?

Has anyone seen the public plans for the re-development? Who had final say regarding wich scheme was given the green light and go-ahead?

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Lets hope the numpties in charge of dishing out contracts have learnt from the last time???

The 'workmanship' of the flaggers, outside the market to Broadway is appalling, but apparently it wasn't part of their contract to come back to mend any defects, hence the nice 3-D mosaic effect on ther pavement outside the still empty new retail units.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Can with have before, during and after photos from the same vantage points? Anyone got any ideas of we can get hold of the plans or artist impression of the intended result Do we have anyone working on Broadway who can keep is in the picture so we can turn up at appropriate time if anything interesting should happen.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I'm not one to openly defend our Council but on this one I have to say 'give them a break'. They seem to be damned if they do and damned if they don't. I too think it looks a mess there at the moment and yes, perhaps they shouldn't have ripped it all up in the first place although even before building the new shopping centre it was looking very jaded. They're doing what everyone seems to want them to do in this instance and you're still griping. At least give them a chance to cock up before you start gunning for them. They might surprise us all!

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

No, not gripping very pleased it's being done.

Just sad that it's taken so long to do and ne'er a flower to be seen and only two benches, since they ripped out the old flower beds/seating two years ago.

I was ashamed when friends came to visit and we walked down there.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

The reason for the griping Gayle is that Broadway used to look nice and presentable and was easy to use - before the halfwits of HBC decided to start chopping and changing things. Now it is an eysore and businesses have suffered because of it. Do we hear one word of apology from the arrogant pratts in charge? Now Babbling Britcliffe has decided that he can bear the complaints no longer and has decided to do a quick makeover. But as usual with HBC it is too little too late. While Burnley and Blackburn are spending MILLIONS OF POUNDS on the refurbishment and development of their town centres, the best that HBC can manage is small change by comparison.

That is why we are griping. That is why we seem so cynically certain they will make a mess of it - we know what HBC are like. We have to live with the consequences of their institutionalised incompetance every day. And it is made doubly galling to see neighbouring towns doing so much more and so much better.


Incidentally, I also notice that the Christmas Illuminations STILL haven't been taken down. Perhaps they should replace the Horse Chestnut trees for Norway Spruce, then we can pretend it is Christmas every day along with pretending that the borough is doing well under this administration.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

We are griping now because if the council are allowed to just do what they normally do, buy a load of cheap, raw materials throw them in the air and see where they land,

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

A few people see to be unsure of why the flower beds were removed in the first place.

That was done in order to accommodate the market stalls on Broadway on a temporary basis whilst the new "pavilions" were being built after they'd knocked down the old market.

Why they couldn't have built the new pavilions first is beyond me. That would have also helped the paving slabs to stay in place as they were laid before there was anything to lay them up against so it's no wondr they wandered.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Short of cash?

Wander up and down on the lovely pavemants, when you trip submit your claim.

Inside info suggests that every claim is settled uncontested.

That is one of the reasons HBC is so strapped for cash.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

with all the claim companies out there ime surprised HBC isnt bust

on one hand you can blame people for putting claims in but on the other hand its the councils fault for not maintaining the pavements especialy in the town center

on another note i watched a tv program a while back where people were getting away with parking on double yellow lines because if a set of yellow lines has a break in it anywhere for any reason even wear and tear apparently they are not legal so as long as you photograph the break in the lines you can contest your fine

ive seen plenty of yellow lines that according to the law are not upto standard so if anyone gets a parking ticket on one of them take a picture it would be interesting to see if it works and sticking it to the traffic wardens wouldnt hurt either lol

yes i watch too much tv :)


how much do you get for a trip or fall these days

could use a payout to pay my council tax so they get the cash back in a sense

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I was in the British heart foundation shop to leave some books and there was a man from the council telling the manageress that it would be finished by CHRISTMAS.......so does he know something that they aren't telling us...?

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

when they built the arndale they put a model of it in the libary to show people what it would look like

they may do the same with broadway

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I'm not disputing that the place looks disgusting and I'm certainly not disputing that the Council screwed things up when they ripped up the flower beds and seats - they did. I think I'll just wait to see what it looks like before having a go because if it still looks like a dogs dinner then I'll be right there with you all griping away.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I can only admire your touching faith in the capabilities of HBC. Those of us with longer memories know differently. I'll keep a seat for you on the griping bench, and I promise I will absolutely not say "I told you so."

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Are they going to stop all those wagons and vans driving over it when it`s finished? I was nearly run over by a police van last Saturday1

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

An Apology, yes yet again……….I have often criticised Accrington Town Centre (Broadway in particular) as a mucky grubby place and have compared it to the delights of Lancaster City Centre which by comparison is always clean and tidy. Well I spent the afternoon up in Lancaster today and it was an absolute s*** hole. The Market had been on and no doubt numbers on the streets was boosted by day trippers and holiday makers. What a let down, I have to admit that I have never seen Broadway in such a mess than Lancaster today.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

If ever I commit a multiple murder, I want you for my defence lawyer, you can't seem to believe that some-one would make the same mistake twice!!!!!!!! or more!


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_20_1.gif

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

No, don't get me wrong - I have very little faith in them myself. I just want to wait and see what happens before I make a judgement. Basically, I'm sitting on the fence on this one - just in case by some tiny miracle they do a good job. Keep the seat open and I'll keep a seat open for you on the 'well done side', just in case.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

That sounds like a reasonable bargain to me. Done!

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

someone told me devlin had got it,we will have to see.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I think it was dreadfull before. Just oversized red brick flower pots and a few benches. Very outdated in my opinion.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I have just driven through Blackburn after visiting at the Royal Infirmary. By the side of Darwen Street Bridge there is an enormous sign declaring that Freckleton Street Bridge is going to be replaced to create a gateway into the town. It looks fabulous! Very Impressive. The cost, A cool £9 MILLION!

Where are our "gateways"? How do Blackburn seem to be able find these outrageous sums with apparent ease when the best HBC can do is make do and mend with £250 grand and complain that retail business in the borough is going down the pan?

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I presume there are a few factors
Firstly, BwD are a unitary authority and so have far more control over their money and how it's spent. Secondly, Hyndburn is broke so can't afford to spend any money on that sort of stuff when people would complain because the bins weren't being emptied. And lastly, because no one the Council seems to have the vision to be able to create something like this.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Don't ask me. I'm nothing to do with the Council.....yet!

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

So no pressure then!!!!

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

No, No pressure............;)

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Funny you should mention it though because I have been approached. Still not sure what to do - think I might stir up as much protest as support.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Why not give it a go Gayle? You could not possibly do any worse than the current shower and who knows, you might do some good! But I have the feeling that it will be something of a poisoned chalice.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I know A-B, that's what's making me hesitate.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Success often comes down to the cohesion and effort of the team behind the leader. Just make sure you have the right people behind you. Perhaps we should **** of the fire until it’s actually out of control, if you know what I mean.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

There, you see. According to Barking Britcliffe it was all going to be shiny and new. But the closer you look the cheaper and tattier it begins to look.

But wasn't the Market re-vamp fiasco largely down to the incompetence of the recently departed Nigel Rix?

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

;) Not much left to work with is there Doug if half of it is a tip and the other half like old Beirut? :D (sorry I couldn't help myself)

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

If I remember correctly there was a half-arsed sort of drawing published in the Observer a few months back which we all decided loked like something from a failed sixties council estate, not even le Courbusier at his most attenuated was as bleak as that.

As to single tendering, When has HBC ever equaled Value For Money?

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

I think that picture would sometimes be an improvement to what you see on Broadway some days.

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.
 

Yeah, but I understand that the Council are doing their best to keep the New Mayor; Plain Jane(t) away from Broadway as much as they can in case she gets stuck and holds up the improvement works. Apparently the Mayoral limousine has had to have "Wide Load" signs attached to it..

Re: And behold, Broadway was made anew.