Civic Pride is back on track
A scheme to give Cheltenham a complete makeover is back on track.
The ambitious Civic Pride proposal, which could lead to traffic being banned from Boots Corner, was thrown into doubt when Gloucestershire County Council said it might not help with funding.
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But the authority has now put £50,000 into its budget for next year to spruce up the town.
The county council’s Cabinet member for the environment Julie Girling said: “This amount has been put into the budget for the regeneration of Cheltenham.
“The issue before Christmas was that we were concerned about spending £50,000 a year for three years.
“It would have been a board spending money and we weren’t sure in the current economic climate, with developers struggling, if this was the best way to spend public money.
“We have allocated this money in the budget because we want to show our commitment to spending money in, and supporting Cheltenham.”
Coun Girling (C, North Cotswolds) said the aim was to provide £150,000 over the next three years.
When the funding was threatened before Christmas she had said that one of the stumbling blocks was Cheltenham Borough Council’s plan to close Boots Corner to traffic.
She said: “We’re still very concerned about the plan. It seems to us and the highways authority that it will just push traffic to other roads.
“It’s something the traffic engineers will have to look at and work out.”
Coun Girling said she’d meet with Cheltenham Borough Council and officers from the South West Regional Development Agency this month.
Officials and councillors in Cheltenham say they are pleased the county council has decided to improve the town.
Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet member for the built environment, John Morris, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see that the county and ourselves are working in partnership for the benefit of the people of Cheltenham.”
Director of planning at the borough council, Grahame Lewis, said the commitment of the county authority will help attract funding from elsewhere.
He said: “Gloucestershire County Council’s funding also demonstrates to the Regional Development Agency that both councils are working in partnership to bring forward significant enhancements to Cheltenham town centre and other areas within the borough.”
The borough council’s plans involve moving out of the Municipal Offices and selling the Regency building. Traffic will also be banned from Royal Well Road and the council wants to build its new headquarters on North Place car park.
A fee has been agreed for the borough council’s share of Regent Arcade with the shopping centre’s other shareholder Canada Life. Money would be used to fund the proposals.
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by New Mover, Cheltenham / London
Friday, January 15 2010, 1:54PM
“Ok I'm in the process of relocating from South London to Cheltenham. And you have no idea how much better it is. But that said and having spent some time there, I have seen pedestrianization work very well in many places, as long as the public transport and parking is ok. I think it makes people spend more, they get leisurely, it works well in Sutton, Croydon, Bromley, Wimbledon, and Kingston. In fact thinking back to the 70's and 80's I can;t think of one location where it hasn't come hand in hand with economic success and a general improvement of quality of life, something to do with job generation I guess, and it doesn't have to ruin the look of a town, there's a large building that was renovated as part of Croydon's regeneration, they did a very good job. But really it's not as bad as your making out, it could be MUCH worse.”
by mb, Chelt
Monday, September 14 2009, 11:18PM
“I agree totally ... spending money on Civic Pride is a waist .... use the money on Cleaning the streets .... and by cleaning I dont mean just picking up the litter or emptying the bins ... i mean actually cleaning them .”
by Dom, Cheltenham
Thursday, April 23 2009, 6:53PM
“So Cheltenham needs civic pride does it?. My own personal opinion is that we have done too little too late. I have worked in the town centre for the last 16 years, and during those 16 years have also worked in most of the large cities/towns round the UK. I spent 8 months working in Cardiff centre in 1994 and was amazed even then how much nicer it was to shop in than Cheltenham. I went back for the first time since then to Cardiff in Feb 09, and didn't recognise the place!!. Lots of new development going on, clean streets, and lots of different shops. The following day found myself in Cheltenham, it was then that it struck me: In the last 16 years Cheltenham hasn't changed one bit. No new development (ok the Brewery may be new but its tucked away), lots of litter and the same shops that i remember from when i left school way back in 1990!!. Lets face it Cheltenham will never change, its been allowed to stay the same for far too long.
I very rarely shop in Cheltenham now...why....too expensive to park. Far easier and cheaper to go to one of the out of town retail parks. Free to park and all the shops you need are within a 5 mins walk. I also like the fact that there are no insurence companys/charities/etc at these retail parks stopping you and asking for '5 mins of you time'.
So my plan for the town:-
Fully Pedestrianise the High Street. All the way from Hogs Head end to the Bowling green end.
Knock down the awful row of shops in Lower High St that contains Tescos etc and build something modern looking. The old Grammer school shouldn't have been knocked down back in the 1960's.
Sort out the carparking. Make it cheaper and provide more of it. Also the same with public transport.
Once the Regent Arcade redevelopment is finished, i hope this will kick start the redevelopment of the town centre. If not then Cheltenham is doomed to be the same boring, dirty town that it has become.
So come on CBC and all those concerned with running the town centre, sort it out NOW or it will be too late......”
by Anon, Cheltenham
Thursday, February 12 2009, 12:49AM
“All this civic pride rubbish really annoys me! what on earth is it going to gain other then cutting off the town centre to cars?
People will not go into town if they cant drive and in our current economic climate that is the last thing we need. Besides im sure all that money could be better spent on something, ANYTHING!
Why are us small people never asked what we think and actually listened to? most people i have spoken to have said they dont want this to go ahead.
i love cheltenham town, minus the rubbish, as it is. Its an old town all this new so called pride rubbish isnt going to fit in, its changing what cheltenhams meant to be about, our history.
Oh and as a side note Chris from Gloucester, get a life, if you dont like cheltenham dont come here. Although why you'd want to stay in your stinking city i dont know.”
by Resident, Cheltenham
Tuesday, February 10 2009, 5:47PM
“AA, Unfortunately you have hit the nail on the head! Some folk just have no respect for anything, including themselves. No amount of money spent on the town will make them take any pride in anything!”