Your Town, Your Future
Cheltenham is a wonderful place to live, work and play, says Gloucestershire Echo editor Kevan Blackadder.
Tuesday's Gloucestershire Echo is a special edition as a direct result of the messages we have been getting from our readers.
In the Echo's letters page, in our articles and on our website, www.thisisglouc- estershire.co.uk, Cheltonians frequently say that this special town can be an even better place.
They want it to maintain its unique feel, but also move forward. We are nearing the end of the first decade of the new millennium but so much more can be done to make Cheltenham a true 21st century town, while still maintaining its historic atmosphere.
In today's and tomorrow's Echo, we've taken a wide range of views on what should be done. But the most important people are the ones we haven't spoken to yet – you.
We'd like you to contact us with your views, by telephone, by letter, by email or via our website. Eventually, we'd like to produce a Dossier for Change that can be presented to Cheltenham Borough Council.
This exercise is not an attempt to criticise the council. The reaction to its Civic Pride initiative has been mixed. But it does include many ideas that make perfect sense. A new look for the centre of town is desperately needed and if better use can be made of the Municipal Offices by moving council staff to a modern, more cost-effective building, what is wrong with that?
I have my concerns on whether traffic will move as freely as it expects when some of the major roads are closed, but maintaining the status quo is just not an option.
The town also needs to take account of the outside threats to its retail trade from new shopping centres like Bristol's Cabot Circus.
The possibilities for improvements are unlimited. Look at some of the ideas included in today's paper. Our MP wants a safer, greener and fairer Cheltenham. We've some fascinating views from young mums and new graduates.
Tomorrow, look out for a controversial suggestion from Cheltenham Racecourse's Edward Gillespie and some interesting thoughts from local business people.
On our website today we are asking people to send in pictures in support of Your Town – Your Future in three different categories – preserve, change and improve.
And that sums up the message of Your Town – Your Future.
■ Preserve – Cheltenham is known as England's most complete Regency town and that must be protected at all costs.
■ Change – A town should never stand still. But what are the measures that will change Cheltenham for the better?
■ Improve – This should not just apply to Cheltenham's buildings, but to its facilities and society in equal measure.
Your Town – Your Future gives you the opportunity to have your say. Will you take it?
59 Comments
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by kafkaris, cyprus now 1961 cheltenham
Sunday, January 04 2009, 4:58PM
“First stop drags n argohol , cheltenham is OK as it is//, regars from CYPRUS peter A Kafkaris”
by Sally, Cheltenham
Wednesday, December 17 2008, 10:48AM
“Why does Chelt Council fear the Cabot Circus development? Surely they have much more to fear from the new Gloucester Docks development. I for one will head straight for Gloucester once it is completed and so will many others. Chelt council and Chelt Civic Pride just do not seem to realise what people need in order to make Cheltenham a decent place to live and shop in.
Expensive parking, silly one way systems, congestion caused by imbecile traffic planners, buses on so called pedestrianised areas, a lack of evening entertainment for non club goers. I can go on and on.
Please someone, use their brains before they kill Cheltenham off and we become a suburb of Gloucester.”
by Nicer place, cheltenham
Thursday, November 20 2008, 9:00PM
“Easy, keep the train station - no to golden valley park and ride, link up with trains in from Bishops Cleeve and Honeybourne stopping at Waitrose for town centre.
Open the pedestrian streets at night to to bring back some life, and stop the vandals from having control.
In other words let people in rather than finding ways of keeping us out”
by Deb, Abbeymead, Gloucester
Tuesday, November 18 2008, 6:08PM
“I work in Chelt live in Glos (I'm from East Anglia, so no localty to Glos), so I use the town for shopping on my lunch break. The centre, Prom, & Montpellier are lovely, but the opposite ends of the high street are in need of help - each shop have ugly facade's, and are too far away to walk from one end to the other, there also needs to be more incentives to entice nicer /popular shops to theses areas.
I agree with most comments of too many coffee shops, but they are always in use, so maybe there is the need for them.
Cheltenham needs more entertainment for evenings for those not interested in pubs/clubs & theatres.
Making the road by Boots pedestrianised doesn't make sense to me, you only have to wait 30 secs to cross the road there, couldn't this £2 million be used wiser elsewhere. Everone always slates Gloucester as being rough and run down and full of low lifes, But Cheltenham is no different in my experience, like the rest of the country now, we have serious social issues that the countries Government needs to address now or this country will be a place I will be ashamed to come from soon, and a place I fear for the safety of my daughter.
Cheltenham, needs to be worried about Cabots Circus, which i know the city centre management dont seem to think will affect them!!”
by SHAZ, Chelt
Saturday, November 15 2008, 1:37PM
“One thing that is glaringly obvious from reading these replies, is that there is no magic answer - everyone wants something different! I feel sorry for those that have to make the decisions, as they will never please everyone or even a majority.”
by LINDA, CHELTENHAM
Thursday, November 13 2008, 5:18PM
“I think that more should be done to tidy up the look of the lower high street it gets forgotten. I agree there are too many coffee shops and mobile phone shops. Cheltenham looks cheap and nasty. An ice skating rink or roller skating ring and more swimming facilities on the outskirts of town for younger people. I think cheltenham has enough nightclubs .Casinos are a bad idea.I think it will be harder for Cheltenham when Gloucesters new development has been finished.”
by Mum of 2, 'nam
Wednesday, November 12 2008, 8:05AM
“Agree with Sam Nair on all points - No casino - NO NO NO(!) We do need cohesive planning and the Brewery should have been developed in conjunction with the surrounding area, we are not in need of better shopping though, more thought should be given to facilities for our town to use not just retail therapy, its a shame that the pool was moved from Alstone Lane area (the Waitrose site) to Pitville - more evidence of poor planning - moving a public facility that was centrally located to a out of town location.
Please no more mistakes - lets get it right next time”
by iona, Glos
Wednesday, November 12 2008, 2:20AM
“Id love an ice rink, give the kids something to do constructive. I think something for teenagers to do what be a good idea”
by Sarah, Gloucester
Tuesday, November 11 2008, 11:01PM
“There is a facebook group suggesting that the Municipal building should be made into a casino. I quite like that idea!”
by Salubritas & Eruditio, Cheltenham
Tuesday, November 11 2008, 8:54PM
“My biggest worry about having traffic banned from Boots corner is that it will become more like Gloucester's Kings Square. We already have louts climbing on lamp posts and dumping rubbish in the fountain. Making the area bigger will just make it worse.”