Saturday, April 24, 2010

Mum's bid for better shopping

Wow, yet another Facebook campaign. This time it is for more shops in St Neots Town Centre. This Facebook campaigner, Emma Speed said: "We are the largest town in Cambridgeshire but we are just forgotten by the councils. All they want is more houses."

Actually. it is the Labour Government that wants more housing in this area and requires HDC to find the land. And whilst St Neots is the largest Town in Cambridgeshire, we have a much smaller catchment area than Huntingdon.

Credit where credit is due, Cllr Thorpe sets out the problems very well. Many of the properties are listed and there would need to be wide scale demolition of the Town Centre to create the space which simply won't happen. The time scale of 2026 is about right. But this could well be movable feast as when we get to 2026 the economics will have changed.
What we do need is the extra retail to go into the Town Centre rather than another out of town development. If the Councils are not willing to knock down the buildings to create the space needed then all we will get is talk. Linking two shopping areas will just not work.

It is a pity the Town Council scrapped the Town Plan which could have led the way over what St Neots needs and wants.

1 comment:

doug terry said...

Dave I refer to planning application 0900411ful
which is for Mixed use development comprising of 21 houses, 3 flats,1 retained retail unit,2 workshops, new vehicular access from Brook St 11 car parking spaces and the conversion of listed buildings to residential units.
AMENDED PLANS
Land at and including the old forge and 22 High St St Neots
Applicant Zog Enterprises Ltd
Which the town counci refused but at the moment is pending a decision by HDC although I fully expect it to be granted. The council wanted the space to be used for retail.