Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Not having that at all...

There was nothing wrong with the town before the planners and councillors started mucking about with it.

No need for the Arndale, no need to destroy the outdoor market, no need to move the bus station.

We had a perfectly adequate massive car park close to the heart of the town, just like Skipton, Fleetwood and Bury. We had a variety of market stalls, just like Skipton, Fleetwood and Bury. We had an olde worlde market hall with a plethora of specialist stalls, just like Skipton, Bury and Fleetwood (ok so Skipton is just a covered arcade). We had a choice of fish stalls, tripe stalls, cooked meat stalls like the others.

And unlike those mentioned our market was covered by a bleedin' great see through roof that kept the rain off and still allowed you to see without the need for electric lighting.

Now we have a multi storey that sensible people don't use because it only takes one poor driver to bring the whole car park to a standstill, a market in a wind tunnel where you cant browse without getting thumped in the back or sodden wet through in a spring shower, a white elephant market hall that has a bottleneck entrance on one side, has been totally ruined inside and drunks, drug users and beggars accosting you on the other side, a council that removes seats for old folk to rest their weary bones, uneven pavements that become lakes after rain, a complete lack of town centre cleaning crews and to top it all off they plan to move the bus station to a non-central position....

People always need to buy things...regardless of recession or lack of industry. Big names will not come here because the council have slowly and surely killed the town centre over the last 30 years, nothing to do with recession/industry (Blackburn,Bury, Skipton and Fleetwood have the same recession/industry issues)....and they will nail the coffin shut when they move the bus station too far away from the market for Florrie, Ada and Bertha to walk to the tripe stall because these three ladies are the only ones left who still do their shopping in the town centre.

Then they have the unmitigated cheek to say 'building Whitebirk up will have a detrimental effect on the town centre' and 'lets build a canalside shopping centre in Rishton.'

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Hear! Hear! You wanna become one of our Cllrs? :-)

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Guinness yeh nailed it in one.;)

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

The new 35 minute train journey to Manchester (they say 40 but that's from Blackburn) commencing next May will also I fear take a plethora of people away. Why shop here when you can be in Manchester 15 minutes quicker than the bus to Burnley?

I fear the only answer is to begin again. Although it's a vicious circle. With things as they are.....who would buy the land on which a demolished Arndale would lie?

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Hmmm..I guess someone once asked the question...'who would buy a delapidated mill in Oswaldtwistle?'..Answer..someone with vision!

Your original argument concerned lack of cash because of recession, now you suggest that those self same people would be stumping up for the train fare to Manchester and back hoping that they can net enough bargains to make it worthwhile. The only other reason that they would do this is for a pleasurable day out.

Therefore the question that needs addressing is 'what does it take to make Accrington a pleasureable day out'.....it sure as hell aint struggling with a multi storey car park, empty shops, drunks, beggars, lack of seating and wind tunnels.

So..we need a decent market with a variety of stalls, plenty of space to browse, good car parking, a place to shelter in inclement weather that is close enough to the local transport system that a 70 year old woman with two full carrier bags can reach and can attract the 18-30 big spenders......

erm...Accrington circa 1970-80 Q.E.D

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

To be fair to them it's very difficult to sort out rubbish that walks about in a drunken or drugged up state ;)

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Just wondering Alvin if Manchester could cope with Maundy :rolleyes:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

I was talking to one of the women on the sweet stall in the market
she was saying how trade had gone down since all the work on the indoor market and the footfall is nowhere near what it was.

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Relocate Maundy to Manchester

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

It could be easier to put controls on places that encourage people in drunken and drugged up states to walk about the town centre, reminding them the help is a two way avenue

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

The controls are already in place, nobody enforces them :mad:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Well its about time they were, mind you nobody comes on here these days so we can bend their ear.:rolleyes:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

That don't matter, This was going on when they did come on regular..:rolleyes:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Oh Hum, one wonders why we have elected members at all, Councillors(of all denominations)who don't listen, or don't want to hear, and the same with our elected member at Westminster, who only listens to Mr. Ed:rolleyes:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Maundy is closed today, Dorothy has passed away