Whitebirk planning application.

Regarding the changes at Whitebirk retail park.

  • I support the changes.

    Votes: 9 34.6%

  • I think the changes will mean the town centre will suffer.

    Votes: 17 65.4%
  • Total voters
    26
My current employers are trying to get a unit on there; I think it will mean that the "big players" in Accy may think twice about renewing leases and we may lose some. Not that we have many anyway ! Shop rents in Accy are ridiculously high for the footfall you get and anything that pulls the shoppers out of town can't be good news.
 
garinda said:
A spokesman for Peel said: "Extensive public consultation has been carried out regarding the Whitebirk retail park application and 90 per cent of Hyndburn residents consulted were in support of the scheme.
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well we have a lot of accyweb members that live here in Hyndburn so where you consulted?
i was not !
 
Whitebirk, as a retail destination, is pretty uninspired and uninspiring. Something clearly needs to be done about it.Whenever I go past the place all I notice is car showrooms. For one thing the links to Accrington Town Centre really do need looking at. If the Council are serious in their intent to develop the site in competition with Blackburn's Greenbank site then the proposal needs to be given the go-ahead. From their obvious determination to develop the site it would appear that Peel holdings anticipate generating a significant increase in income as a result of the proposal. Consequently, the chicken feed offer of £700K to improve Accrington Town centre and links to it should be doubled, at the very least. The council should also take this as an opportunity to insist that Peel construct something a little more substantial than the usual agglomeration of identikit tin sheds.

The route from Accrington to Whitebirk via Church, Dunkenhalgh and Rishton should also be designated as a retail corridor with enhanced planning, transport and access status; something which could be of benefit not just to Accrington but to two of its "and District" townships too.

Though I hate to use the phrases, what is needed is some "Blue-Sky", "Out-of-the-Box" thinking on this issue. If we look at this as an opportunity rather than an irksome imposition we might get somewhere.

The Council could also insist on Peel Holdings' assistance in the redevelopment of Accrington Town Centre. We have what they want, they have more than enough money and experience to be able to change Accrington and District for the better. If the council go about this in the right way the future could look a good deal rosier than it does at the moment.
 
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cashman said:
respect your point of view,disagree with it though, retail parks are all well n good for people with Transport for one,i believe it will affect our town centres for another, agree with what someone said about the High Rents in town, what dissapoints me though is you sitting on the fence of this poll,fail to see why you cant take part as support is one of the 2 options, always thought you had the streangth of yer convictions.
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Can't see why you think I'm sitting on the fence here - I've clearly stated that I support the changes.

I also believe that it will cause the town to suffer. But let's stop and think about the town centre for a minute. Are you all back in your rosy haze about the wonderful town centre that we had thirty years ago or are you actually talking about today's town centre? Because in my opinion the town centre is already dead in its current format.

What is needed is the following:-
An huge influx of development money into the town centre
Some creative thinking that moves away from traditional town centre approaches
Improved bus routes and development plans to alter the routes to the new retail park
A design approach to making the town centre 'look' better - and by that I don't mean just flowers (although not criticising them) but someone who can improve fascias and shop fronts
Something that is an attraction in the town centre - whether it's specialist book shops like Hay, arts stuffs like Hebden bridge or a farm in the centre - something that sets it apart
Creative events in the town centre each week i.e. music, buskers, jugglers etc - all things that enhance the liveliness of the town
Knock a few buildings down in the town centre to open it up and build a better bus station and a more open vibrant market

The town centre is already dead so instead of trying to rebuild it just like it was (that's no longer viable in today's market) do something different.


I think I have enough opinions here to safely say that I am nowhere near the fence at the moment!
 
ACCRINGTON a town full of pound shops and take aways,the rents are to high and lets have a new retail park were you can go and browse without stepping in dog sh*te and falling over loose flagstones and floor chippings and slipping on the arndale floor because the roof still leaks
 
Well, the council has now granted a contract to a company of Planning Consultants to submit plans to redevelope the town centre and surrounding areas at a huge fee, so will just have to be patient and see what is afoot.
 
Can you honestly say that HBC having £700,000 to spend on regenerating Accrinton town centre, will have any lasting, and long term benefits?

Remember, the supposed regeneration of Broadway cost £500,000.

I think not.
 
Gayle said:
Can't see why you think I'm sitting on the fence here - I've clearly stated that I support the changes.

I also believe that it will cause the town to suffer. But let's stop and think about the town centre for a minute. Are you all back in your rosy haze about the wonderful town centre that we had thirty years ago or are you actually talking about today's town centre? Because in my opinion the town centre is already dead in its current format.

What is needed is the following:-
An huge influx of development money into the town centre
Some creative thinking that moves away from traditional town centre approaches
Improved bus routes and development plans to alter the routes to the new retail park
A design approach to making the town centre 'look' better - and by that I don't mean just flowers (although not criticising them) but someone who can improve fascias and shop fronts
Something that is an attraction in the town centre - whether it's specialist book shops like Hay, arts stuffs like Hebden bridge or a farm in the centre - something that sets it apart
Creative events in the town centre each week i.e. music, buskers, jugglers etc - all things that enhance the liveliness of the town
Knock a few buildings down in the town centre to open it up and build a better bus station and a more open vibrant market

The town centre is already dead so instead of trying to rebuild it just like it was (that's no longer viable in today's market) do something different.


I think I have enough opinions here to safely say that I am nowhere near the fence at the moment!
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Since you are no longer sitting on the fence (:D), which buildings would you knock down?
 
Gayle said:
Can't see why you think I'm sitting on the fence here - I've clearly stated that I support the changes.

I also believe that it will cause the town to suffer. But let's stop and think about the town centre for a minute. Are you all back in your rosy haze about the wonderful town centre that we had thirty years ago or are you actually talking about today's town centre? Because in my opinion the town centre is already dead in its current format.

What is needed is the following:-
An huge influx of development money into the town centre
Some creative thinking that moves away from traditional town centre approaches
Improved bus routes and development plans to alter the routes to the new retail park
A design approach to making the town centre 'look' better - and by that I don't mean just flowers (although not criticising them) but someone who can improve fascias and shop fronts
Something that is an attraction in the town centre - whether it's specialist book shops like Hay, arts stuffs like Hebden bridge or a farm in the centre - something that sets it apart
Creative events in the town centre each week i.e. music, buskers, jugglers etc - all things that enhance the liveliness of the town
Knock a few buildings down in the town centre to open it up and build a better bus station and a more open vibrant market

The town centre is already dead so instead of trying to rebuild it just like it was (that's no longer viable in today's market) do something different.


I think I have enough opinions here to safely say that I am nowhere near the fence at the moment!
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answer to why ? cos as you clearly stated you are for the thing- yet say you are unable to vote, thats clear as mud.:p i agree entirely the town centre is dead in its present format, but i think with this it will be buried,the suggestions A-Bob, made have much merit, but who the hell can honestly say the trust HBC to push hard to obtain them?
 
I certainly think that something needs to be done to curtail the proliferation of Fast Food Takeaways. Allright, I accept that they occupy otherwise empty retail premises and contribute to the local economy through business rates but, operating mainly in the evenings, they can hardly be said to contribute much to the retail experience and do not really make the streetscape very attractive.

Another bone of contention is the conversion of retail units in the town centre to offices to accomodate Solicitors, Accountants, Estate Agents and Insurance Brokers etc.; this is one of the reasons why town centre rents are so high.

For both of these scourges the only body to blame is the local planning authority.
 
Getting back on topic Garinda
you really need transport to get to Whitebirk retail park.
i dont think there is a bus service there and back so i only go when i can get a lift.
if there was a bus service i would use it more often.
 
And another thing......When you have a local authority who believe that the only solution to falling market rent revenue is to raise them beyond the reach of all but those with the very deepest pockets then you are clearly on the slippery slope to decline and closure.

Accrington Town Centre has a great many problems to overcome, the chief of which is HBC and its planning department.
 
mick said:
well we have a lot of accyweb members that live here in Hyndburn so where you consulted?
i was not !
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We had a questionnaire sent to us,I think it was Peel Holdings that sent it,asking whether or not we would be in favour of the new development.This was ages ago though,think it was last year sometime.Did no-one else get one?We can't have been the only ones.
 
mick said:
Getting back on topic Garinda
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Sorry if you think I was going off thread.

Hebden Bridge was mentioned as an example of a town with a diverse range of businesses, and the Mayor of Hebden Bridge's comments as to why it is so thriving, I do think are relevant to the discussion.
 
Lilly said:
We had a questionnaire sent to us,I think it was Peel Holdings that sent it,asking whether or not we would be in favour of the new development.This was ages ago though,think it was last year sometime.Did no-one else get one?We can't have been the only ones.
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No, I didn't get a questionnaire. Did you get it through the post?
 
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