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The Slow Death of Bridge Street.


algy

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  • 3 weeks later...

With yet more stores closing & going into administration is there any future at all for Bridge Street & a large portion of the town centre .  With the current trend of online shopping  is their a future for any High street in the country considering that with the internet ,all that is needed is a large warehouse & next day delivery schedules &  the High street with its mega rents is redundant. Catalogue shopping has been eating into High street shopping for years but with the internet is the shopping revolution complete ?

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The idea of an agora or forum, "a centre" to a community; is as old as the first Towns ever built.  Whilst primarily a shopping centre or market place, it's also a place for social interaction and entertainment, unless that too, has been consigned to the internet. As I've suggested: G/Square has taken over as "the Town Centre" and drawing in the available footfall.  Perhaps the nearest we have to what could have been, is the area of the old fish market?

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There are no plans to change the frontages on Bridge Street (though not everything is of any great architectural merit); it's the market and Time Square area that's the main focus of attention (plans out later this year). There are some unconnected roadway improvements planned for the bottom end of Bridge Street:

Main carriageway black Hot rolled asphalt (HRA), bus lane - red HRA or equivalent;
New flag-paved footways - eastern kerbline to remain, western kerbline to be extended to create a 4m wide footway;
New kerbline - conservation kerbs;
Enhanced street lighting;
Review of carriageway markings and traffic signs;
De clutter of existing street furniture

As to the town centre generally - and how others see Warrington - I pass on what a planning inspector said recently (allowing a retail unit to be converted to a betting shop, which the plans committee had refused):
With regard to vitality, my overall impression from the early afternoon site visit was of a reasonably busy shopping centre with strong retailer representation in the Golden Square development and a mix of shops, non-retail and related service uses in the vicinity of the site. There were few vacant units along the main shopping streets and pedestrian flows along Horsemarket Street were high reflecting its role as a key pedestrian route linking the town centre with the Bus Interchange and a large public car park. Access to the centre by means other than the car was very good. To my mind, the centre appears to be in reasonably good health.

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How can the Council champion the "de clutter of existing street furniture" and then slap 20 and 30mph speed signs all over the place Steve? a bit of a joke from where I'm sitting. and as for the planning Inspector who gave such a glowing report for the rest of the town centre, I think I saw him in Golden Square the other day

 

Caoguia2006.jpg

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As to the town centre generally - and how others see Warrington - I pass on what a planning inspector said recently (allowing a retail unit to be converted to a betting shop, which the plans committee had refused):

With regard to vitality, my overall impression from the early afternoon site visit was of a reasonably busy shopping centre with strong retailer representation in the Golden Square development and a mix of shops, non-retail and related service uses in the vicinity of the site. There were few vacant units along the main shopping streets and pedestrian flows along Horsemarket Street were high reflecting its role as a key pedestrian route linking the town centre with the Bus Interchange and a large public car park. Access to the centre by means other than the car was very good. To my mind, the centre appears to be in reasonably good health.

 

I haven't lived in Warrington for 13 years, I come back 2 or 3 times a year to visit family, I visit the town centre probably once a year. When we came up over Xmas I was shocked at the state of the town centre. My husband and children (who have never lived in Warrington) thought it was grubby and run down and had no desire to hang around. Without the family ties there's no way I'd choose to visit Warrington (sadly)

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Hey but never mind trying to find a solution Steve..... just hike up the council tax so the resident mugs in the houses have to stump up the losses while you lot carry on like nothing has happened.... We need new ideas from new people in the town hall.... cuts cuts cuts, loss of services and yet we still fork out a six figure salary for a Chief Executive that does what exactly to earn his money apart from appearing on a few photos?

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  • 1 month later...

I would like to draw your attention to an article on the Guardian website referring to the Stadium Quarter which is to be regenerated in a £190 million  programme of housing ,business & even a university & creating 4000 permanent jobs. The Wireworks is now dead in the water . It is a start i suppose to improving the towns northern approaches.

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