milnshaw park or the coppice
 

just for fun if we MUST have the Panopticon project where would you rather see it built

milnshaw park that desperatly needs somthing doing with it or the coppice which is fine as it is

i know there are possibly other places but milnshaw park sprung to mind becayse i went there recently and was dismayed at how much in ruin it was compared to 10-15 years ago

edit:

from what i read in gayles thread they are using a park in burnley so why not in accy..?

could it be the desighners ego insisting that it be on the coppice having his creation looking down on all of us or is he open to other locations

i would bet good money our council and people would be more likely to support it if it was located at milnshaw park or some other area in desperate need of a clean up or renevation

i for one would back it if it somthing was done on milnshaw park te only objection i have to the scheme is that they want to use the coppice

some things should just be left alone

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

How high is Milnshaw compared with the coppice? One of the panopticon requirements was supposed to be a viewing point of Hyndburn.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

125-150metres above mean sea level (OS), the Coppice is 257 metres. It has views to the south of Scaitcliffe, Springhill and Oswaldtwistle-ish. It also has a large collection of mature trees which obscure the view and which would, no doubt, be subject to preservation orders.

There may also be objections to any redevelopment since it is the oldest public park in Accrington.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Lets pretend I have only been in the area for a few years. Where is Milnshaw Park?

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

It is on the slope of the hill adjacent to ASDA on Hyndburn Road.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

i see now that milnshaw park was not the best example as its not high enough up for anything to be seen

maybe someone else can think of anywhere high enough as an alternative and could benefit from a bit of renovation

i realy only posted this to see if people would be more willing to accept the project if it was located elsewhere

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Whinney Hill has existing road access.

Land at the top of Kings Highway has road access and is an abandoned quarry owned by Ibstock Ltd.

The area around Bedlam also has existing road access.

All have extensive views over the area and are roughly as high and as prominent as the Coppice.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

If spectacular views are what is required, there is an old Victorian quarry just at the foot of Hameldon Hill off Kings Highway. The area is already popular with walkers. and it has the added benefit of of having several spoil mounds already in situ, it also has a Victorian "Holy" Well - the May Road Well- and is close to a medieval highway -Kings Highway. It is also close to an area where neolithic artefacts have been uncovered- lots of History. It is also situated between two large reservoirs. On a clear day you can see the coast at Blackpool and a large part of the Lake District as well as views to Darwen Tower and Haslingden.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

what is supposed to be seen from the sky tho ???? just mounds ???

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

I say leave the coppice alone......... what about slapping it right on top of the town hall! at least vandals and bikes can't get up there. And more people will seee it, than on top of the coppice. Don't think it's a good Idea to have it on the milnshaw park. The amount of kids that congregate around there now, thats why the park is a utter mess. It would just get destroyed in no - time.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

what about putting it in Blackburn instead then....why give it us??

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

:P Do you not think that "centre of the world" BwD get enough!!! :P

:) It's about time Accrington had something to put it back on the map!!!!!! Use the Coppice and it can be seen as folks are driving on the "highway in the sky" (the A56 by-pass) as well as the folks of Accrington, Church, Rishton, Gt Harwood, Oswaldtwistle, Huncote, Fern Gore, Clayton and Altham (if I have missed an area then sorry but at 04:30 brain starting to fog up) :)

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

I'm glad that someone else has resurrected this thread because it gives me the opportunity to ask Gayle for an update on the current situation - Well Gayle, how about it?

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

The update really is that there isn't much to say. You all saw the article in the Acc Obs when PB said no, no, no. We then got a letter saying go away look at the options and come back with something more suitable. So that's what we're doing I suppose - looking at the options.

Options being - looking at other sites, possibly other architects, or as I'm sure you'll all be interested in whether there shouldn't be one in Hyndburn at all. But before you all jump for glee on that remember it is just an option. Also, there will be six Panopticons which means that when Hyndburn misses out on all the funding, promotional opportunities and tourism, another area will double up. It would be yet another example of our borough being run down next to our better off neighbours and is that what you really want?

Anyway, we're looking at options. We'll then take them to the steering group for discussion and then present them for public consultation. I haven't got a date for that but the steering group should be meeting again in about two months time - there's no hurry at the moment as the other five are progressing so fast and are keeping us so busy.

By the way A-B did you see the huge feature in the Times (your bible) yesterday - massive picture of the Burnley Panopticon and saying how wonderful it was. Huge positive news story talking about Burnley.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

like the hambledon idea, if the panoptican is a suitable design. saw a model of one at wycoller on sunday and must admit was quite impressed. p.s. havent voted cos dont like either option.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

The only thing we need at the moment in Milnshaw Park is a skip for the rubbish. I walk the dogs there three times a day and have not seen council workers doing any thing for a long time.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Thanks for the update Gayle. I have to say I missed the article you referred to, which is annoying since the online version doesn't carry it.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that the dreadful rings will not now take place and that we will all have a little while longer to enjoy our favourite landmark in all its rundown glory. I don't know about you but I'd call that a result and a reminder to Quango's everywhere to be wary when trying to fob off the good people of Accrington with their second rate schemes.

I look forward to seeing the results of the rethink. In the meantime, if I can be of any assistance with advice on suitable locations for the next favoured option please don't hesitate to ask, I would be only too happy to help - seriously!

The Times is a newspaper, not Holy Writ, it is written by human beings who are just as capable of being wrong as any of us. I choose to read it and occaisionally share bits from it with members because its columnists use good English and are often quite thought provoking. There is however quite a bit of garbage in it too, but hey, that's life; you have to take the good with the bad.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Don't go gloating yet mate - we're looking at options, and some possible options could be to put something else on the coppice instead or to move the rings to another site - doesn't mean either of them are dead and buried yet.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Gloating? Who's gloating? I am just pleased that common sense has at last prevailed. It's just a pity that it took that well known intellectual heavyweight and doyen of the Arts Establishment Peter Britcliffe to convince you!

Still, as I said, if I can be of any assistance, I will be only too happpy to place my meagre talents at your dispoosal.

As a first bit of advice, perhaps you might have a bit more success if you were to make the selection procedure a bit more public. Your last offerings have smacked of done deals and decisions made over the heads of the people. Trust the people. They may not know much about art but they usually know what they like. And, after all, it is their park you are proposing to change and they who will have to live with it when it is finished.

Humility is not something that is not often seen in public bodies in Accrington. A little of it now might go a long way towards getting the people of Accrington on your side.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

We did make it public - there was no 'done deal' about it at all as has been proven.

The process was really simple and we tried to reach as many people as possible. We invited three artists to put forward ideas - those ideas were displayed at seven places around Accrington and Huncoat, it was advertised in the Acc Obs and LET both in editorials and in placed advertisements. We put posters up all around the borough, not just in Accrington. We then announced which one had come out most favourably and asked the designer to go away and develop the design - then we went through the whole process of displaying it and advertising it again. I'm not really sure we could have done a lot more. You found out about it so it must have worked.

It was in the local papers practically every week from January through to April. The debate raged on here and I came on this site to talk about it.

I'm a bit cross that we were accused of it being a done deal for a few reasons
- because it wasn't - we felt we'd worked really hard to consult with people and short of going and knocking on every door in the borough I'm not sure what else we could have done.
- because people get cross because they have found out by word of mouth instead of being personally told by the organisers of an event or activity, yet people choose not to read or listen to information that is presented to them
- because as we've proven by going away and looking for other options we have listened to people and we haven't foisted something on the town that not everybody is happy with.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

And I forgot - we held a public meeting at the Town Hall and made presentations at the Huncoat area meeting and to the Accrington Civic Trust.

These were all advertised with editorials in the paper and adverts in the paper. We also put posters all around the towns.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

I posted this over a year ago but thought it may be appropriate in this thread. At the time members posted views on what wording, if any, would be appropriate. This was my T-in-C contribution. On second thoughts ---- why not?

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

OK, I’ve read what’s been said here and it’s more or less the same tit for tat exchange as we had last time. So how about an accyweb partnership or working group “call it what you will” where interested parties or individuals come together and discuss what that would like to see happen in a constructive way that might offer ideas that we might agree on that we as a group can be put forward as an alternative to perhaps some of the more disliked schemes that have been bounded about. We have among us some extremely talented individuals whose backgrounds may serve the borough well.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet but did you see the article in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph tonight? It was basically a non-story and nothing has changed since my last post on this subject in this thread.

The article implies that our new main choice for the siting of the Hyndburn Panopticon is in Burnley. The truth is that we are looking at a LOT of different option sites for the Panopticon and one of them happens to be along the Huncoat Trail which goes partly over the border into Burnley. Nothing has been decided, we're not even at a point where we can recommend any realistic options yet.

I can say though that this story in the LET was sought in a slightly underhand way by using the new Freedom of Speech act which meant that we had to hand over all documentation regarding meetings and letters. They obviously thought we were hiding something when the process was as transparent as it could possibly be. The story that they have printed is not new news as I told you all and them some time ago that we were investigating all possible alternative options before we made another presentation to the steering group.

I just thought I would let you all know that before speculation went wild again.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

I saw the story in the LET tonight and thought.....'not much new there'

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Only one problem here, were ever it goes the vandels will get at it.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

i think that milnshaw park should have something done to it not because i live near but but just the state it is in.
i have two kids and have recently ventured in to queens park and ormerod park in burnley and have to say how tidy they were with no graffiti or vandalism.and the play area was not one that you would look down on the floor to check if there was any glass lying on the floor for your kids knee to pick up at the first chance like at milnshaw.
also there were plenty of flower beds full of colour and not not pulled too pieces or full of green like we have come on hyndburn council give us something good please

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Well I think they should build it on "Whinney Hill Tip".

This post is not a troll, I'm serious.

I left Accy over ten years ago and I've been browsing around this site going down memory lane etc etc waffle waffle.

Anyway I can't believe what a state the place is in now, I used to play in Milnshaw park as a kid, I know every nook and cranny. It is an utter disgrace how HBC have been letting the Borough go down hill as a whole.

It seems like they are throwing money into the town centre as if it was a bottomless pit, what kind of vision do the councillors have for the town?

Why are they allowed to get away with bulldozing such monuments as the Accy Grammar School and then build the ugly green monster where the Peel st Bus station used to be. It does not belong amongst all the old buildings that surround it.

Why is Accrington trying to be so ultra modern?
Why not market Accrington for the town that it's always been. an industrial cotton town. HBC should be proud of the heritage and market that instead of trying to bulldoze every last remnant and become a modern yuppy bedroom town for the Manchester commuters.

Try and see these "developments" from somebody else's perspective, I watch from afar and I am literally so mad that I am cussing profanities as I browse the Accy Web site.

Deep down somewhere inside I love Accrington but to tell you the honest truth when I look at the state it's in now I'm glad I left when I did.

Take off the rose coloured glasses folks and take a good look around you, exactly what is HBC doing with all "your" money.

Anyway I've got to go and calm down before I tell you what I really think.

Cheers,

Dennis.

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

your not alone m8 plenty of us are more than annoyed at the incomptant handleing of our money

although i would recomend you come back and visit if you should ever feel the need to browse through cheap shops and charity shops we have a collection of both to rival any other town in the uk

Re: milnshaw park or the coppice
 

Not bad if you need a new mobile phone either.