visitor to accrington today

[shillelagh]

so we had visitors to accrington market hall this morning .. rishi sunak giving the announcement that 20 million quid has been given to hyndburn council to do up the market hall .. the photo is of him leaving .. and the other photos are of what they are going to do . i think .. the boards were up on the balcony at least hyndburn council managed to clean the town square of snow and ice for him

[Guinness]

I thought the market hall had already been done up...when they put up rents and destroyed its character by 'modernising' it, removing the outside market then nailing the coffin shut by shifting the footfall from the bus station which they moved to the opposite side of the town.

Notwithstanding the removal of a massive central free parking area replaced with the Arndale which is currently actively discouraging parking with its inane rules. A ring road and one way systems that prevent passer-by drop ins. Hell sometimes its difficult to access for locals because of constant bloody roadworks.

But hey I'm no town planner.

There was a time when there was a bustling market thanks to a central bus station, free parking, easy access for cars, benches for us old gits to sit and catch our breath. It was enhanced, not eclipsed by supermarkets (Tesco and Kwik Save were on Union Road).

Yet again, I'm no town planner.

So the plan now is to 're-modernise' with a food court....may just be me...but if I want to eat out, it needs to be within a few yards of where I park or can be picked up by a taxi.

Erm... Dear Council, I'd like to be considered to plan how to spend £28 million to rebuild a central market with reasonable rents, increase footfall, access to vehicles, pensioners and youth facilities..

Then again, I'm not a town planner

[Ryewolf90]

If you want to eat in Accy town centre then there's always the food court in the Arndale....Holdup , thats been closed for years. But I'm not a town planner.

I'm not a town planner but... the Arndale Centre is now mostly charity shops, plus WH Smith and a vape shop but I'm not a town planner....

Try parking near the Post office, well you can't because it filled with post office vans, taking up all the available parking spaces....

[Margaret Pilkington]

They have all these high ideas about bringing people into the town from other areas.
Isn’t that what was planned when they chopped down two beautiful mature trees and then spent ludicrous amounts of money to create a paved wasteland…? but because they put a few artefacts that were supposed to memorialise war dead, well, hey it was justified.

They want to turn the Market Hall into a place of dining out…(or a food and drink destination is how they describe it -we have one of those . It is called Wetherspoons and it is cosier that the Market Hall)…who wants to dine out in a draughty stone flagged place?
Who on earth in this town has the spare cash to dine out?
These are pie in the sky ideas, dreamed up by who exactly?

The town has been mismanaged for decades by councils who had no sensible ideas and who destroyed what had been a thriving market….all to get a draughty bus station that takes people AWAY to other towns that have more to offer.

No I am not a town planner either, but I know what doesn’t make a town tick….town planners with no idea!

[pifco]

There was a lot of money spent, £2,000,000 I think, on the building next to Bees Knees the work seemed to go on for years but I must say that when it was finished it looked fine with curved glass windows etc. Alas to date no one seems to be interested in renting it and it would appear that it will be left to deteriorate to the same condition that it was in before being refurbished. A pity a better use could not have been found for the money.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Accrington Council could not find their bum with both hands, instructions and a map.
What have they come up with that has improved anything in the town?
I know there won’t be a list of achievements.
They know how to spend money, but not how to get value.

[Restless]

I was under the impression they dug up roads just to make sure they get their budget again

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Accrington Council could not find their bum with both hands, instructions and a map.
What have they come up with that has improved anything in the town?
I know there won’t be a list of achievements.
They know how to spend money, but not how to get value.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I think that might be true Rob, but I do wish they would spend our money as if it were coming out of their purse.
Accrington has, over the years, been ruined by successive councils who hadn’t a bleeding clue about what was going to benefit the town.
Moving the bus station was the death knell to the market….and ultimately the town.

[shillelagh]

still up to now dont know whats happening ... there was a meeting with the market traders on monday introductions to the people who are in charge of this ..

[Margaret Pilkington]

This is going to be another reason not to go into town anymore.
They really know how to kill off a town don’t they?
Choccy Mike across the road from the market hall, has this morning received notice from the council that he will need to vacate his shop just after .Christmas.
This shop is always bustlingly busy with people who come from out of town for his bargains.
He has not been offered any alternative site so he will be giving up selling his wares.

[boxermum]

The only 'visitors' Accrington will get are councillors, town planners,traffic managers from other towns and anyone in need of a bloody good laugh as how NOT to bring life back to a once thriving town.
The roads are disgusting, the one way system is bonkers, the shops.....???? ,hang on !!! What shops? .This and previous town councils have decimated Accrington with their stupid ideas. Any moneys being spent on Accrington should be put to the people of the town to decide whether its a good and viable spend, ie anywhere but Broadway,town hall,scaitcliffe house,all of which have had more than one go at the pot.

[boxermum]

The only 'visitors' Accrington will get are councillors, town planners,traffic managers etc from other towns and anyone in need of a bloody good laugh as how NOT to bring life back to a once thriving town.
The roads are disgusting, the one way system is bonkers, the shops.....???? ,hang on !!! What shops? .This and previous town councils have decimated Accrington with their stupid ideas. Any moneys being spent on Accrington should be put to the people of the town to decide whether its a good and viable spend, ie anywhere but Broadway,town hall,scaitcliffe house,all of which have had more than one go at the pot.