Presentation by Mark Armstrong, Senior Regeneration Officer
Minutes:
Mark Armstrong, Senior Regeneration Officer, informed the committee of his role as Town Centre Coordinator for Bulwell and Clifton town centres.
The following points were made:
(a) for many people who are not familiar with the area, Bulwell Town Centre has a negative reputation but this is not the case and whilst Bulwell actually has a very healthy town centre, there is still work to be done and improvements to be made;
(b) the positive points about Bulwell Town Centre are:
(i) it has a focus point of one of the best outdoor markets in the area;
(ii) there is a good mix of national, independent and semi-independent shops and service providers;
(iii) the needs of the local population can generally be met although there is a lack of clothing shops;
(iv) it is well maintained and clean;
(v) there are excellent transport links with bus train and tram stations and it is not too far from the M1;
(c) the weaker points for Bulwell Town Centre are acknowledged in the Town Centre Action Plan which are:
(i) there is poor liaison and communication between business between businesses;
(ii) the arterial routes to and from the town need attention as some do not create a good impression;
(iii) there is a lack of leisure and evening attractions with a focus on pubs and takeaways;
(d) the aim of the Town Centre Action Plan is to have a regeneration focus on improving the area in consultation with local businesses, the City Council and citizens;
(e) it has been suggested that a conservation area within the town centre be established which could to include the St Mary’s church as it is an architectural asset of the town;
(f) topics discussed regarding the marketplace area included:
(i) although the marketplace is a popular attraction, it’s been suggested that this could be further promoted and the appeal be broadened with seasonal markets and special events;
(ii) street furnishings could be reconsidered;
(iii) the appearance of the market stalls could be improved with a more uniform look instead of random, patchy sheeting;
(iv) the barrier of the brick wall which runs along the curve of the road beside the market could be adapted to make it more visually pleasing and practical, possibly providing seating on the market side;
(v) the walk from the tram stop into the town centre could be made more pleasant, including ensuring that dropped curbs allow reasonable routes to the shops and allowing shared vehicle and pedestrian space over the small bridge towards the market;
(vi) the market facing large window banners of the Wilkinson’s store could to be more appealing;
(vii) the rusted railings to the road facing side of the Wilkinson store, with the old banners, could be made far more presentable;
(viii) the town old town Hall is an interesting building but at one time the amount of signage detracted from the architecture and was overwhelming;
(ix) the area between Greggs and Boots has been a focus of several improvement attempts to prevent unauthorised vehicle access but currently it is unsightly with a multitude of bollards. Ideally this space could be transformed into an area of serenity.
The following comments were made by the committee and responses given:
(a) the park-and-ride car park spaces at the tram stop are recognised as being valuable to the local community and any improvements to car parking and the route to the shops from the tram should only involve reconfiguration of the car park with no loss of parking spaces;
(b) residents are concerned that buses cannot access the Morrison Supermarkets site resulting in residents having to cross four lanes of traffic to get to the supermarket from the current bus stop;
(c) the ad-hoc appearance of market stalls is an accepted and welcome aspect of an independent market. A uniform appearance would not be considered as an improvement for some residents, while others would welcome it;
(d) any improvements to the area should include consideration for old people, especially with regard to the ‘take a seat‘ campaign, as Nottingham is branding itself as an age friendly City;
(e) any additional seating would be sited to ensure that it did not interfere with market activity and access;
(f) preventing cars from driving through the market needs to be considered as even during market days they move too quickly.
RESOLVED
(1) to note the aims and proposals for improving Bulwell Town Centre;
(2) for the Town Centre Co-ordinator to report back to the Area Committee at a future meeting with progress of the proposed improvements.