Market Hall Refurbishment - Page 7

garinda · 06-07-2010, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

Still, very decent of Gordon to make a contribution and lighten our load...has he got some sort of personal connection with Accy Market Hall that motivated him to act with such generosity?

Cold meat?

garinda · 06-07-2010, 23:06

Or perhaps tripe.

g jones · 07-07-2010, 10:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

...and here was me thinking that us poor old taxpayers would have had to cough up the whole £1.5m. Still, very decent of Gordon to make a contribution and lighten our load...has he got some sort of personal connection with Accy Market Hall that motivated him to act with such generosity?

The HiPs (Housing Improvement Programme) was allocated to only the deprived Borough's on some formulaic basis. Hyndburn is ranked a 40th from the bottom out of 354?

We received £2.8m, £2.8m, £2.1m and £1.4m over four hears to last year. It came unringfenced and local councils were expected to spend the money accordingly (housing).

Hyndburn's housing policy states future monies will be spent on housing in places particularly Rishton and Great Harwood and not in areas covered by previous or current schemes (such as ELEVATE).

The HiPs money has been used for such things as flower towers, prop up Area Councils and Area Council budgets, Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre refurbishment, Broadway resurfacing, Pendle Street demolition. The Council has not raised any money itself but used this fund to fund all it's extra expenditure.

The money has now ended. As has £960 LAA grant as part of nearly £3million of cuts excluding the HiPs.

garinda · 07-07-2010, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by g jones

The HiPs (Housing Improvement Programme) was allocated to only the deprived Borough's on some formulaic basis. Hyndburn is ranked a 40th from the bottom out of 354?

We received £2.8m, £2.8m, £2.1m and £1.4m over four hears to last year. It came unringfenced and local councils were expected to spend the money accordingly (housing).

Hyndburn's housing policy states future monies will be spent on housing in places particularly Rishton and Great Harwood and not in areas covered by previous or current schemes (such as ELEVATE).

The HiPs money has been used for such things as flower towers, prop up Area Councils and Area Council budgets, Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre refurbishment, Broadway resurfacing, Pendle Street demolition. The Council has not raised any money itself but used this fund to fund all it's extra expenditure.

The money has now ended. As has £960 LAA grant as part of nearly £3million of cuts excluding the HiPs.

'Expected' to spend it on housing.

Was there no legal requirement for them to do so, and not spend it on flower towers etc.?

Ken Moss · 07-07-2010, 11:44

No votes for St Andrews in Rishton or Great Harwood.

Rishton, that well-known market town, is desperately in need of flower towers. Prospects have been useless in making the town look pretty on shoestring charity contributions and hundreds of hours of unpaid voluntary work, tidying up scrubland, litter picking and making flower beds from plants rescued from certain doom in skips.

We really really need that extra £115k that Peter Britcliffe is proposing to spend on the Floral Market Towns project.

Honest.

garinda · 08-07-2010, 07:30

Some interesting photographs and drawings on here, of the Market Hall.

BBC - In pictures: Accrington market revamp

Mick · 08-07-2010, 07:35

The photo of the market stall now thats a propper market stall not like the little things they have now.

Margaret Pilkington · 08-07-2010, 11:42

Yes, I stand by my earlier impressions....the work has cost a lot of money, and it hasn't enhanced the market hall that much.
As for the Market hall being used for exhibitions, buskers and music......that isn't the prime function of a Market hall......the prime function should be the sale and display of goods that are for sale.....and preferably local produce.
The vast modern staircase is not in keeping with the general antiquity/quaintness of the building and looks out of place.

Taggy · 08-07-2010, 14:57

I think the Market Hall certainly looks a lot cleaner and fresher, but i think much of this could have been achieved at considerably less expense. I dont think there will be such a significant increase in footfall, to justify the level of money that has been spent.

I assume the Council will have done a study of this...so would be interested to know what their figures say the increased footfall maybe, matched against what it was?

I agree with Margaret, that there should not have been a large area at the Market Front left open for Exhibitions/Arts etc, plenty of room outside the Market Hall for that. It just does not look right...or particularily welcoming...it looks like we couldn't fill it with enough traders!

Maybe the area upstairs on the opposite side of the New Cafe could have been reserved for that. Because i also feel that in the long run, most of the upstairs will prove to be a White Elephant and will remain under occupied. Its not an area thats obvious to a lot of people, and access around is not good. OK you have a lift to get you up and down, but there's no space for 2 people with Prams or Wheelchairs to pass each other, so people with those just wont bother going up there.

Best Regards - Taggy

blazey · 08-07-2010, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

A shame about the cafe has always been a good meeting place for a brew with friends/family

I went in there a few times and always thought it was full of drunks and weirdos!

BERNADETTE · 08-07-2010, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

I went in there a few times and always thought it was full of drunks and weirdos!

Never seen any drunks using it and it depends what you term weirdos

But to be honest I don't spend my time judging people

garinda · 08-07-2010, 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Never seen any drunks using it and it depends what you term weirdos

But to be honest I don't spend my time judging people

We really should have sat on the stools, rather than the floor, when we used to meet in there.

Perhaps we should have put the gin bottles we were drinking from in paper bags, so visiting students wouldn't have us down as two lushes.