Worcester has to grow – or Redditch will take over (From Worcester News)
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Worcester has to grow – or Redditch will take over
7:10am Wednesday 27th October 2010 in Future Worcester headlines
By Flora Drury, @floradruryWN #worcsnews
Worcester has to grow – or Redditch will take over
A CITY councillor has warned that Worcester must grow – or risk losing county town status to Redditch.
Councillor Roger Knight made the comment at St Peter’s Parish Council, the first community group to be involved in the discussion about the future of Worcester following the scrapping of the South Worcestershire Joint Core Strategy – the previous government’s housing targets for the region.
Coun Knight and Coun David Tibbutt were at the meeting to hear how residents wanted to see the city grow over the next 20 or 30 years as part of what has been termed ‘Future Worcester’.
Coun Knight said: “If people do not want to live, play and shop in Worcester then they will go elsewhere. Redditch could end up being the county town.”
Redditch is the second biggest town in Worcestershire, with 74,300 people compared to Worcester’s 94,700.
But the leader of Redditch Borough Council Carole Gandy doesn’t think there is any chance of Redditch ever being as large as Worcester.
She said: “It is highly unlikely. We are right on the edge of the county and we will always look to attract as many businesses as possible, but our boundaries are so compact that even if we wanted to expand, we would not be able to.”
Coun Tibbutt said there was not only competition from other county towns, but also from places such as Cheltenham and Solihull, which are attracting more shops and consequently more visitors. He said retail was an important indicator of a city’s growth or decline.
“There are many places very similar to Worcester which have lost their Marks & Spencer. We do not want to do that,” he said.
Coun Knight said Solihull already had one well-known department store.
“Ideally we would like to see a John Lewis in Worcester, but we’re not going to get one with our population,” he said.
The councillors said new homes were needed – but a careful decision was needed about where the homes would go to avoid Worcester becoming a commuter town.
Like Redditch, Worcester has little space within its boundary to expand and any growth would have to encroach into the Wychavon or Malvern Hills districts.
Paul Middlebrough, leader of Wychavon District Council, said: “We hope those residents living in the rural areas around Worcester are given the opportunity to comment and influence whatever findings emerge.”
Malvern Hills leader Phil Grove said: “I would encourage our local communities to also make their views heard in this consultation.”
St Peter’s Parish Council will hold a public meeting about Worcester’s growth. The date and time are yet to be confirmed.
Comments(23)
kroglew
says...
7:29am Wed 27 Oct 10
molecat
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7:41am Wed 27 Oct 10
liloliluk
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8:10am Wed 27 Oct 10
Malvern
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8:51am Wed 27 Oct 10
BarryMacG
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9:38am Wed 27 Oct 10
the key is sureley for the Council to help the University grow, we need to see further expansion, the council should be looking at ways to help the university expand and open up area's of excellence, help them build a technology park on the western side of the city that would house campus, business office space, hich tech industrial units etc.... yes there will also be a need to sort out traffic issues around this
More and more students will need to stay at home whilst going to university when the changes come in from the Browne report, they will not be able to afford to move out oifv home to go to uni, we need to ensure our students have a top class uni and also increase employment.
skychip
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10:17am Wed 27 Oct 10
bashby
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11:52am Wed 27 Oct 10
Those that oppose development and growth are the same as those who opposed a main-line railway/station 100+ years ago and as a result Worcester has paid the price. It is no wonder that we cannot attract major retailers or hotel chains to this city. It’s embarrassing as this city needs investment to survive and we cannot afford ignore the warning signs of a decline.
St John’s is rapidly becoming a slum
With the mass conversion of Victorian properties into flats as a result of a lack of social housing and a poorly planned student accommodation strategy, St John’s also fails to attract new business due to its extremely poor transport connections. It’s great to have the university, however its new businesses that are needed to compliment the skill set of those that live in the immediate area.
Worcester is already a commuter town to Birmingham, Black Country and Redditch!
Failure to grow will result in decline. Thankfully there are several high profile businesses adjacent to the Motorway, however we need a spread and with good town planning, a science or business park of the west side would benefit Worcester significantly, but without completing the outer ring-road St John’s will continue to decline rapidly.
Why are Worcester residents afraid of change?
Having moved back to Worcester after a 10 year break, I find the niavity and negativity of its citizens astounding. Whether it’s the prospect of building a sports village or a new football ground, these are opportunities to make a change and really should be embraced with open arms, positively, together as councillors and citizens.
As to whether the likes of the wealthier Wychavon Council should have a say or hinder the growth of Worcester, is beyond me as I imagine it is highly and over subsidised by the residents of this city.
Jabbadad
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12:14pm Wed 27 Oct 10
I also agree that if when they took a population survey that the numbers of drivers and passengers who are going round & round on that terrible Redditch road system would add to the count. Even local people have difficulty in going out and about.
So no we don't want Redditch as an example to Worcester, and perhaps those who support these mad ideas were the ones behind the devastation of the Lychgate area and a huge introduction of a concrete jungle.
daned
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12:37pm Wed 27 Oct 10
bashby
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12:39pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Redditch serves a purpose, there is no point comparing it to Worcester. It can’t be so bad as so many people wouldn’t live there, Redditch meets and exceeds its demands, where as Worcester is far more dynamic.
As a comparison it sparks a good debate though. Cheltenham or Solihull are possibly better suited.
PeterNielsen
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1:28pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Redditch is handicapped by the shops first, second and last mentality that drove the design of its centre. Worcester is also disadvantaged by the imperatives of commerce that close the city centre at night apart from clubbers.
This slogan, "great place to live and work" that is trotted out on letters should mean something. At the moment, Worcester is no better or worse than most historical Cities.
brooksider
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1:47pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Its the fault of the Council that retailers do not want to open up in Worcester, high car parking charges, Worcester bid etc.
chris peacockpeacock
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2:52pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Worcester has heritage, history and is reknowned for it's cultural contribution to music, literature and industry. It's going to take a little more than a John Lewis store to change that.
To look north, Glasgow dwarfs nearby Edinburgh but nobody has any problem remembering what the capital is.
To look South East to Buckinghamshire, the county town is Aylesbury, far smaller than horrible suburban Milton Keynes. I think i know where i would rather live, county town status or no county town status- and guess which one has a John Lewis.
Yet more political pre-occupation with size! Freud would have a field day.
Drico
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3:50pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Bodger&Badger
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5:36pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Bashby/BarryMacG - Completely agree with most of what you say, Worcester has a lack of retail/Employment/Af
fordable Housing (Not Social Housing) offer in both the city centre, in addition to on the fringes (I don't think i can call them suburbs really!).
Brooksider - I assume that you have been to a big city then, as the car parking charges in Worcester, with the exception of the Cathderal Plaza car park are actually very cheap.
Generally, the change in county town is probably unlikely, given that Redditch has in the most a Birmingham postcode, so even though its technically in Worcestershire, most residents probably think of themselves as living in Birmingham anyhow.
Unfortunately people in Worcester are generally reluctant to change (By the way I'm not from Worcester, before you all state the obvious, I arrived only a year ago to the city, and have been surprised at how early shops close in the week with most closed by 530pm, and the centre deserted. The majority of shops being closed in the centre on a sunday is also surprising for a city of Worcester's size. No i'm not a shopaholic before you all ask, but active buildings are more appealing as a user of the city centre).
A number of people who regularly complain on this website, always seem to compare Worcester to Birmingham, for which there is no comparison. There are pros and cons to living in both places.
Many revolving around transport, and the late night culture that is better in Birmingham. However, Worcester indeed has other positives, such as more greenery, scenic, good connections to the motorway.
Furthermore, the number of people who complain on this site, with regards to congestion, should realise that the "congestion" issue with the exception of the Southern Link and The Tything only really affects the city for about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in evening, so not a major issue when compared with more urbanised areas.
With regards to Commuter Town - I agree with the previous author, Worcester is already a commuter town to Birmingham, as they have numerous more employment opportunities for Professional people such as Financial Services, Lawyers, Architects and Engineers etc. Until Worcester expands to service a demand from these types of people, then those that live in Worcester will commute to places such as Birmingham, Bristol and London.
drowningnotwaving
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7:14pm Wed 27 Oct 10
The council wants more houses for the enableing agreements and community charge revenue.
To turn the City into another clone town is not the way to go.
We are still awaiting the hi-tec firms which would come to worcester in teh hi-tec corridor.
We need buisnesses not houses and shops. Kays departure, porcelain departure, cadburys etc had nothing to do with the number of houses.
The amount of charity shops in the city shows the effect of council rates setting.
brooksider
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7:23pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Ignorance is bliss & it certainly is when you comment on congestion in Worcester, 60 minutes a day? study Rainbow Hill & St Johns as well as the City Centre & you might then change your views.
Guess why the shops shut at 5:30pm? Its because it is unprofitable to open after that hour & it is the reason why so many fail to open on a Sunday.
If the measure of a town is by how many architects it has then lets make Worcester a RIBA free zone.
Unfortunately it was the development of Worcester in the 60's that has ruined a lot of the city & this was approved by the City Council some of whom did very nicely financially out of them.
It appears this lesson was not learned and the same mistakes repeated.
victor king
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8:59pm Wed 27 Oct 10
Jabbadad
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7:49am Thu 28 Oct 10
Drico
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9:30am Thu 28 Oct 10
.
My mistake - Birmingham/Solihull etc. all seem to merge into one when I visit any of them. I guess that was my point...
Landy44
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1:12pm Thu 28 Oct 10
There is a serious point behind this though. What Worcester desperately needs is an increase in areas that will boost the local economy. Industry (the right kind) and commerce are badly needed, and we should be trying to attract the key retailers (of all sizes and types). I've lived in and around Worcester for 41years and I've seen a city largely in decline. It's time to stop this now, and to start rebuilding for the future. I fear the mess we will hand over to our children if we don't act now to build a local economy they can be part of. Everything else will come from there.
DarrenM
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6:57pm Thu 28 Oct 10
Jabbadad
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7:50pm Thu 28 Oct 10
However this suggestion is a lot more practical than a scheme proposed by City Councilor Adrian Gregson who opted for a Cathedral Plaza with a Tunnel going under into college street / lowesmoor. What Adrian forgot is that all around that end of the High Street and the Cathedral there are massive brick sewers down to the riverside. My late cousin whose work took him down these sewers used to relate tales of the King Rat, and that you could drive a bus down there. Pehaps that was what Adrian meant that you got into the sewers via any toilet and popped out around the riverside, or stayed and came up in St Johns Lower Wick.
On second thoughts I think the Cornmarket Plaza sounds more likely, with a little re-routing of the City Walls road, the road to nowhere, which starts nowhere and ends nowhere.
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