Well, here it is. Stafford Borough Council’s vision for Westbridge Park. What do you think?
The map will be included in the leaflet that will be dropping through doors across Stone next week to start the consultation into the borough’s plans for the park.
Here’s an image to show the plan against Westbridge Park as it currently stands that was put together by the ‘New Leisure Centre for Westbridge Park’ Facebook page.
Make sure you take part and have your say in the consultation, which is online at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/westbridgepark. A number of consultation events will also be held in and around Stone at the end of February/early March. They’re included in this press release from the borough council, which was issued today and is published here in full:
Chance to make views known on popular park
Residents and businesses in Stone are to get the chance to have their say on plans for new leisure facilities in the town’s Westbridge Park.
Thousands of leaflets will be landing on doorsteps across the town asking for views on the proposals that will see a new leisure centre with 25m swimming pool, a fitness gym and aerobic studios, new play area and teenage facilities on the park.
The guides, scouts and canoe club will also remain on the site as part of the plans.
And Stafford Borough Council has said the open space and events area at the park will be retained and improved so that it can still host popular annual events such as the Food and Drink Festival, Stone Festival and Bonfire Night.
A number of exhibitions will also take place in and around Stone as part of the public consultation to let people see, and comment on, the plans.
The council already pledged to put in a ‘substantial’ amount of money into the scheme – based on savings achieved from new, more efficient buildings and bringing the leisure facilities together onto one site. But the project will also require funding from selling off a small section of the council-owned park to developers for a food store. The store would be smaller than the town’s existing Morrisons.
Councillor Mike Heenan, Leader of the Council, said: “We think this is a very exciting opportunity for Stone and the north of the borough, combining some excellent new leisure facilities at Westbridge Park while still being able to host annual events such as the Stone Festival, Food and Drink Festival and Bonfire night.
“Our vision is to improve the offer in Stone, not just for today, but for future generations – although this will only happen if local people want it to happen. I’d urge everyone who cares about the future of leisure in Stone whether they be residents, businesses or visitors, to tell us if you want to see these plans come to fruition.”
The events will be held on:
- Wednesday 27th February at Eccleshall Community Centre, Shaws Lane, ST21 6AU between 11am and 2pm
- Wednesday 27th February at Barlaston Methodist Church, Park Drive, ST12 9DP from 4.30pm until 7.30pm
- Thursday 28th February at Christ Church Centre, Christ Church Way, Stone, ST15 8ZB between 4pm and 8pm
- Saturday 2nd March at Alleyne’s High School, Oulton Road, Stone, ST15 8DT from 10.30am until 2.30pm.
Leaflets regarding the consultation will be posted to residents in Stone and the local Parish Councils, as well as being made available in Stone Library, from Monday 4 February 2013. Information will also be available to view at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/westbridgepark from Friday 1 February 2013.
Meanwhile, Trent Vision Trust say a new supermarket would be much better at their planned development off the A34 near the fire station. More information HERE.
65 comments
richard
6 HGV access. Oh dear Jack working for ND i know that trailers come in all shapes and sizes and distribution companies have to work within the limitations of the area. Take all the convenience stores around Bham/Cov these are served by smaller rigid units not the 44ft arctics your assuming. 7 Your right Jack Im not sure a smaller store would compete with Morrisons and with all the evidence piling up it could be argued we do infact need a larger store. However the council has struck a comprimise and limited the size of the store to benefit the towns ever growing population and deliver better all year round facilities 2. Regarding new facilities for the guides and scouts what is the council proposing then? Is that not an improvement As an aside Jack please dont post that link to that highly provocative article again. I swear every time i see it. Basically what Ex Cllr Stevens is saying is that the F&D festival is more important than the improvements to the town. It really has got on my wick with his blackmailing threats to the community of Stone. Disgraceful indeed..Stone is at a tipping point and needs investment in the town and as such it Cannot afford to stand still. I have tweeted him that he should Resign if development goes ahead. Thats how strongly i feel regarding this issue. Normally im not bothered but those comments he made are those of a child spitting his dummy out the pram and having a temper tantrum at the same time.
Pebbles
Why aren’t we recognising that improved leisure facilities are not conditional on
a food store? These facilities are an obligation placed on the Council! We are being used so the Council can generate cash from developers. Rather than selling out the Park on the promise of a poorly thought out plan, it would be better to demand improved leisure facilities without selling off the Park.
To attack people like Richard S and others who devote time and money to improving the Town is pretty low. Wake up and understand what is happening, the Council want to cash in on the land and if they have their way and designate the whole Park as a mixed use area this is exactly what will happen.
mark
Pebbles, the new leisure facilities are conditonal on a new food store. How else do you expect the new leisure centre (and the associated improvements) to be funded? Council’s using money from developers is not a new phenomenon, its known as a section 106, and is an accepted planning tool. A new foodstore is required in Stone, this is based on an identfied need, so it makes perfect sense to locate this on WBP so that they can fund the leisure improvements that Stone residents demand and deserve. If a new foodstore was located elsewhere in Stone we would not get this funding and, therefore, no leisure centre. A mixed use allocation includes both developed and undeveloped land. It does not mean that all of the land will be developed, as shown on the indicative plans. These plans have been used to inform the debate and to show people how WBP could be developed. Alternatively, we could leave WBP alone, and accept unsightyly buildings, poor leisure provision and underutilised green space and play areas unfit for use.
Ben Alcock
Pebbles, I think you are missing the point. Improved leisure facilities are wholly conditional of having a food store. Other funding streams available for developing Stone leisure provision i.e the CIL is not available to the Borough council and the New Homes Bonus does not provide sufficient guarantees that the money generated will go to improve the leisure. Therefore the best source of funding is through a section 106 agreement, a legally binding contract between the developer and the council. However there must be a link between what is being proposed and what the bc is asking for. This argument that the Council want to cash in on the land is a ridiculous one, if that was the case they would be proposing a large supermarket on the site, instead what they are suggesting is a 1400 sq.m food store. Which is comparable terms to the majority of food outlets is tiny. Your comment regarding turning the whole site into a mixed use site is a strange one as it already is a Mixed use site and has been designated as such since 2006. If you are claiming that the council have plans to develop more of the park, i very much doubt this. The BC have a strong tradition of providing excellent leisure facilities and I therefore do not envisage the BC letting this important green space be lost.
Your point regarding Richard S – I happen to believe that the F and D festival is a welcome addition to Stone and therefore Richard S should be commended on his efforts. However I do not accept the arguments being made that the F and D festival will not be able to continue if the leisure provision at WBP was improved.
A New Leisure Centre for Stone
Hi Pebbles. If what you say is Correct then why would they be promising to build all the great new facilities first, and then build the food outlet, and then hand ownership of the park over to Stone Town Council who can decide its future? The only way they can build new facilities is by selling land and getting a 106 agreement. This is happening all over the UK and has been for a long time. There are dozens of new Leisure Centres that have been built by selling council land to developpers. It happened with the canoe clubhouse as well didn’t it? Maybe you think that they have lots of money stashed away somewhere which we can ‘demand’ they use? Truth is, there is no money and they cant print it to build what the ever growing population needs. Also, how exactly are we being “used”? It wont cost us anything. They have also stated that land will remain for festivals and that the food outlet will be smaller than Morrissons. All of this is stated on their proposals and the local plan. Just think of the brand new swimming pool and gym that will be built – it will be brilliant for Stone and it will get used a lot, all year round, in all weathers. We also dont believe that an extra food outlet in stone would adversley affect the High Street, in fact, quite the opposite. A poll on our facebook page shows that people are more likely to spend more time and money in town if a new leisure centre is built on Westbridge Park. Its a win-win-win situation.
tryingtohelp
Could I ask where you are getting your information from? You say that “they” are PROMISING to hand ownership of the park over to Stone Town Council. The published leaflet says the Borough Council “would be happy to consider gifting the event area to Stone Town Council”. If a binding promise has actually been made, perhaps you could tell us all where that is documented? I trust that responses to the Borough’s consultation exercise will be based on published fact, and not assumption.
A New Leisure Centre for Stone
We get info from varous sources – what you are refering to above was simply read from the leaflet as your quote suggests. We trust the Council to do what is right for us, why would they not? They did a fantastic job of Stafford leisure centre and Victoria park. However, you are right, we have not seen any binding promises, these will probably be contracted when the plans are passed and a food retailer commits to it all. The fact that they have said that they will consider gifting the park to us has been put in writing and is being delivered to 7000 homes… Don’t you think that is a fairly strong indication that they will do it? If you are “trying to help” why dont you try and get it in writing for us all? We also hope that responses are based on fact too: The fact that we need new facilities because the old ones are too costly to run anymore, there is no other way for the council to fund the leisure centre, pool and play areas other than with a section 106 agreement with a small food outlet so we should work with them as they are only doing their jobs. But, If a supermarket does end up building on private ‘green’ land a few hundred metres away, we will not benefit in the slightest and be left with very poor facilites and play areas. We hope people make the right choice.
tryingtohelp
1 – I think that you will find that SBC HAVE designated the WHOLE park for mixed development in the Borough plan! The “artist’s impression” we are being shown now does not change what would be possible in the future under the Borough plan.
2 – We are told that the current Sports Hall is worn out, and needs replacing. This time, they want to sell a chunk of the Park to fund the rebuilding, What happens when the “new” facility needs rebuildling – what will they sell then?
3 – The “level” area of “green space” that remains in the proposed plan is actually 27% smaller than that currently available for Festivals and other events.
4 – The yellow rectangle representing the “Food Store” building on the plan is about 78m x 35m. The Tesco Express building on the Stone Road in Stafford is about 30m x 13.5m. The Aldi building on the A34 by Stone is about 57m x 26m. The Morrisons building in Stone is about 72m x 55m.
Ben Alcock
Please do not fall into the trap of trying to scale off indicative drawings, these are merely artists impressions and are not drawn in proportion. The only dimension that we know currently is the size of the proposed foodstore is 1400 sqm. This size is very similar to the Aldi store on the A34, based on your figures the food store will be 2730 sqm, so clearly the “yellow box” depicted on the drawing as being the food store is actually twice as big as it actually will be.
Therefore there will be significantly more green space than you are suggesting, and certainly not a 27% reduction. I would suggest if you were really trying to help you would not band about figures of 27% on open forum when they are inaccurate.
tryingtohelp
Ben
Could you please tell me from where you got the “1400 sq m” figure for the size of the proposed food store? Is that given in the leaflet the public are being asked to comment on as part of the consultation on these proposals? I think not.
Surely we can only respond based on the content of the leaflet – and the depiction of what is says “the park could look like”.
Why, Ben, do you contend that the plan in the leaflet is not drawn in proportion? It is the views on pages 1 and 3 of the leaflet that are said to be artist’s impressions. The layout plan on page 4 carries no such disclaimer. Why are you trying to persuade people otherwise?
If the Borough cannot produce an accurate depiction of their proposals, then how can we judge the benefit (or otherwise) of the proposals. The whole consultation exercise would be a waste of time.
So – I repeat my earlier statements: We are asked to comment on the proposals as shown in the leaflet. The plan in the leaflet shows an area of level, open green space which is 27% smaller than that currently available for the events held in Westbridge Park. I stand by the accuracy of the percentage figure I have given in that statement.
Ben Alcock
Ofcourse you are entitled to hold onto your opinion that 27% of the park will be lost and I am sure the measurments you have made are very methodical and accurate but they will hold no argument because they are not based on a scalable drawing.
mark
The 14000 sq.m floorspace is included in the draft local plan which is currently out for consultations. This has been the figure identified by wyg has being required in stone and, therefore, this has been taken forward. The draft local plan also allocates wbp as a mixed use development. The pplans shown on the leaflet are indicative, drawn by urban desigber / masterplanner. They are never drawn to scale, as such measurements cannot be taken. The drawings are only in the public domanin to inform discussion and to show how th site could be development. As such, your accusation that 27% of land will be lost is inaccurate because its not based on any evidence. Let’s wait and see what happens before we start making injustifiable statements, they don’t help the debate. Fyi I am a chartered town planner and urban designer so I have been involved prodicing countless indicative layouts.
mark
Furthermore a mixed use allocation can include both built and undeveloped land. As such, the mixed use allocation of the whole park does not mean the whole park will be built on. An important part of the mixed use allocation is the greenspace, as such I believe the plans reflect a fairly good idea as to how the bc see the site being developed.
tryingtohelp
So – it is normal practice in the planning fraternity to place before the public inaccurate representations of their proposals, and then make their decisions based on consultation responses to those inaccurate representations?
The “evidence” for my 27% figure is – as I have said – the information put in front of us in the consultation leaflet.
I see little point in trying to help people understand the implications of the proposals (and hence to inform the discussion) if – as you contend – we have no way of knowing what the proposals actually entail in terms of the land that will remain available for the holding of events on Westbridge Park.
Jane
“tryingtohelp” – you are not… Its an Artists Impression” for pitys sake. It even says that on the bloomin’ thing! Its still better than the impression that councillor did with the petrol sation in the middle anyway!
mark
Its normal practise to show people artists impressions of how a site could be developed – yes. The consultation process is not asking you to comment on the size of the development or the appropriateness of the scheme, it is asking for your opinion on the principle of development. The drawings have been produced (I believe) in response to two factors: 1) to allow people to see how the site could be developed, however this has yet to be determined and will be amended following feedback received and 2) to respond to the scaremongering and misinformation spread by two councillors that falsely suggested that WBP would be lost under a sea of tarmac. If you are concerned about the F&D make your comments known as part of the draft local plan and the WBP consultation events. This is the purpose of these events, so please engage in the process. The BC recognises the need for the festivals to continue at WBP, as such it is specifically referenced in the leaflet. However, i’m still unsure how much land the F&D actually require, do you know? I have previously suggested to Richard that he should be fully engaged in the consultation process to ensure that the F&D festival can continue to prosper. I, as a supporter of WBP, do not want to see the F&D lost. However, i do want the area redeveloped and i want my children to be able to use the facilities that will be provided.
As part of a forthcoming planning application will be submitted which will provide scale drawings and provide reports that fully assess the implications of this development.
Ben Alcock
The proposals produced in the leaflet are not inaccurate, they are indicatively showing what the BC are proposing for the site i.e food store, leisure center, skate park, pic nic area etc. The leaflets aim is to show what is planned for the site and to gather peoples opinions/ tthoughts on them and any suggestions for further improvement. Which is why it is important that people fill in the leisure use survey. Surely the most important proposal in terms of public opinion is the size of the food store which is 1400 sq m. The size of the leisure center will be determined by the leisure use survey and what people would like to see in it etc. The BC are predominately local people and therefore they are fully aware of the importance of the f and d festival.
mark
The plans produced are only indicative and, therefore, they can not and should not be scaled. They are just an artistic impression. The draft local plan does allocate a mixed use development for the whole of wbp, however a mixed use allocation can include built and non built development. The indicative plans show what the bc has in mind for wbp, is this not sufficiient for you at this time? When the leisure was built it had a 20year lifespan, odd I know but true, I would hope the same mistake is not made again, and any new building will last considerably longer. If it does need replacing, improving in future money could be used from the new homes bonus or s106 money. thIs does not require the bc selling off more land, but it does mean more development. I don’t agree that anyway near 27per cent of the green space is lost. What it this figure based on? See previous point that the plans cannot be scaled, furthermore does this take into account that land in front of wbp is going to form part of the park?
tryingtohelp
In response to Mark’s reply to my submission:
The plan in the leaflet is the only plan made available to the public – and the only plan we can use to assess the impact the changes would have on the future of events currently held on Westbridge Park.
If you overlay the plan from the leaflet onto existing plans (Google maps, aerial photos, etc), the retained landmarks line up very well. It is therefore possible to identify where the proposed features in the leaflet plan fit with respect to existing features.
Regarding the 27% figure that I gave: I have drawn a line running inside the new row of trees along the “new footpath” next to the Stafford Road. This matches a line inside the hedge along that boundary of the existing green area. The “new footpath” follows the existing service road/original Stafford Road alignment.
I have then drawn a line along the inside of the trees on the “tree lined boulevard”. The line then follows the top edge of the bank along the eastern edge – just beyond the outline of the football pitch on the leaflet plan, inside the two trees.
My line then extends along the edge of the trees on the river’s edge, around the inside of the Canoe Club building, back to the hedge on the Stafford Road. The area enclosed by these lines represents the level green area that will remain – inside which future events could be held.
The area currently available is that defined by a line that follows the inside of the Stafford Road hedgerow, the top of the bank running inside the current on-site roadway, the top of the bank at the eastern edge, and back along the inside of the river-side trees and Canoe Club.
The “new” area is 73% of the old area.
I have not included the area between the “new footpath” and the Stafford Road – because I cannot see how it would be feasible to extend the existing events to safely utilise this area, which remains little more than a road-side verge.
In case anybody asks – the dimensions I gave for the three existing supermarkets are taken from the submitted plans for these buildings – which are available on the Stafford Borough Council planning website.
mark
Please see my earlier post, plus have you taken into account the additional land that will form part of wbp, this is the road and parking area at the front of wbp. This is not mentioned in your post.
Ben Alcock
Thats all well and good, but you have based your calculations on an indicative drawing which has not been drawn to scale, please see my earlier point regarding the actual size of the food store and the one shown on the leaflet.
Jez
The Food Festival dont own Westbridge Park, Stafford Borough Council do! You charge £6 for entry to a public place!! Run it elsewhere if you cant fit it in!
Jack Taylor
Incorrect! Stone Food And Drink Festival have the righteous ownership for that week or two! And not a public place when we are on there! How do you expect the Marquees, roadways, cookers, electricity, water, gas to be paid for? Tree’s? maybe from the new tree lined boulevard!
Ben Alcock
Jack, are you sure about that? I am not aware of such a term, and would be very surprised if one such existed.
mark
Righteous ownership? I have worked in the planning profession for over 20 years and never heard of this term. The land is owned by the bc and they grant the f and d access onto wbp in order for a festival to take place. They hve no ownership rights.
Mr S T Rout
I have to say that I was opposed to the development of Westbidge park with a supermarket and all that that entails. Having looked at these plans, I am reluctantly coming around to the fact that to enable much needed leisure facilities to be established, we might have to accept this compromise. The foodstore looks much smaller than I envisaged and there still appears to be enough space for the community events that have traditionally taken place there. Perhaps the Food and Drink festival should be more town centre focused as it was in the early days, if there is not enough space on the Park. Play faciltities like those in Victoria Park Stafford are well overdue in Stone. If it means getting rid of that horrible blue monstrosity then that can’t be a bad thing.
Stone Bloke
I am concerned about the boulevard of trees, will there be enough spaces between the trees to allow large vehicles access to the open space, for the Funfair, Food and Drink festival, Town Festival etc. Events need large marquees and these need large vehicles.
I am also interested to see how lorries would deliver to the food store/supermarket and during which hours such access would take place.
What charges would apply to the car parking and who would keep the revenue?
So many questions and so few answers provided.
mark
Hi Stone Bloke, you make a valid point regarding the boulevard of trees as such i would make this comment known to the BC. I would hope that the plans, when finalised, will allow an access to the green space to allow access for the food vehicle traffic. In respect of your other questions these will all be answered as part of any forthcoming planning application. The plan, at the moment, is only indicative to give an idea as to how the site could be developed. It will go through a number of further iterations yet, so make your comments known to the BC.
Grace
Do we really need another ‘food store’!?? Surely its just a waste of space and money, keep more green.
Jack Taylor
No we don’t grace! Have you heard that SBC did the check to see if we needed another one before Aldi was built? So no we dont!
Ben Alcock
These need has been established and therefore a food store will be built in Stone by 2015. Just because you do not believe a need exists does not mean there is not a need. Besides, do you honestly believe 4 supermarket operators would be looking to invest in Stone if there was not a need. Supermarkets invest millions in there stores, and spend significant amounts of money on Section 106 agreements, they are not going to do this without a sound customer base….. so lets finally put that argument to bed.
Grace, how is it a waste of money?? The developer will pay for the construction and running costs.
mark
Incorrect jack, please keep to the facts. A need has been established by WYG report. This made provision for the Aldi store and yet still suggested a need for 1400 sq.m for a new foodstore. Furthermore, wyg based their report on no growth projections, therefore it did not take into account the houses that have been built since the report was published or the 500 houses proposed in the drfat local plan. If they had, the need could actually be greater.
Jack Taylor
Did you know though that the WYG report was actually done BEFORE Aldi was built?? And they Car Parks will all be private, and how else is the supermarket going to get its money back?
mark
Jack, I know the report was prepared before the aldi was built, however the report did take into the account the aldi store ansd still conluded that there was a need for a 14000sqm foodstore. .
mark
1400sq.m not 14000sq.n
Ben Alcock
WYG stated that by 2015 a supermarket would be required. The size of the supermarket proposed is far bigger than the 1400 sqm Aldi store and the 1400 sq m proposed for WBP and as people have told you on numerous occasions the WYG report was based on the population in 2006 and did not take into account the population rises expected for Stone. The fact that now 500 houses are now proposed for Stone shows that there is now an even greater need for an additional food store.
Furthermore, the food store operators that have expressed an interest in WBP are high end aspirational stores. These stores will draw in visitors from the more affluent outlying villages and Stafford (please see comments on Staffod Forum).
Jack the food store will make its money like ALL the other food stores and supermarkets do……….wait for it………….. by selling food and convenience goods and taking advantages of economy of scale enabling them to make profit. Jack, the majority of supermarkets do not charge for car -parking and they are often privately run…. whats your point!!!
Craig Whitehurst
Consider the amount of traffic turning in and out of that new juntion to get to the supermarket. It will add to the already busy roads at peak times. The supermarket should really be on the outskirts of town.
mark
Craig, i’m afraid an out of town supermarket does not accord with planning policy or the sequential assessment which seeks to encourage town centre uses (retail) within, or on the edge of a town. By locating supermakets out of town, you also direct shoppers away. By locating supermarkets on the edge of a centre you allow dual trips to be made. Any future planning application will be the subject of transport assessment, this will assess the likely traffic movements. Off site highway improvements will need to be made and this will be funded by the developer.
mark
The plans look very good and as I, and others, have suggested most of the greenspace will be kept left undeveloped but significantly enhanced. No more unsightly buildings and muddy field, rather we can have a park that we can be proud and provides an attractive approach into Stone.
There are improvements that can be made to the plan which i have listed below, however it represents a good start. Lets hope the scaremongering will now stop and people will now enagage positively to ensure that we get the type of development and facilities that we want.
I would not locate the children’s play area on the side of the main road and next to the supermarket car park. I would locate this area to the rear of the site where there will be fewer traffic movements.
I would bring the supermarket further forward. This will provide them with maximum road frontage which they will want.
I would locate the picnic area to a quieter spot and away from the car fumes.
Hopefully, people will now get behind these proposals and make a positive difference to way we live.
Chris Tibbitts
Looks fantastic! So many positive comments! Just what the town needs for its current inhabitants and the future ones. All done at no cost to the tax payer! Plenty of room for events too! The Food festival doesnt use that much space as it is and if it needs to in the future it will just have to adapt and maybe start to use the grass at the back of the park? This will all look brillinant and help to bring people into town more throughout the year and in the evenings (rather than just on payable event weekends) which in turn will help the High Street! Just what we need, brilliant!
carl
that food store will be tiny
Stone Bloke
About the right size for a Tesco Express?
richard evans
Looks a damn sight better than it is now. Real potential in that. Lets hope the town can move forward as doing nothing in this town only holds us back.
RichardS
Well that’s the end of the Food and Drink Festival and the Town Charity Bonfire then. A considerably smaller ‘event/open space’ area for an ever expanding Food & Drink Festival and nowhere to site the Bonfire. Shame neither were consulted before this ‘vision’ was published.
RichardS
In reply Chris and Stella, let me assure them that last year’s festival occupied more space on the park than any previous year. And in view of the record numbers who came to the festival over the weekend, it would not be possible to do the same on the smaller events area shown on the plan.
mark
Richard, have you been consulted by the BC about the plans or have you contacted them about your concerns?
Fight4Stone
I can clearly back up Richard on these two points. The food festival and bonfire committee and team on site through the weeks have to be very careful to not go onto the football fields. The festival this year was the biggest on record and more land was used ever. Stella, do you want Stone to move forward? If so then stop looking at everything that has and will be done for the town negatively. The food festival carried out a survey to all the shops in town and asked whether the festival and farmers market helped them and over 90% said yes! The festival and events are all valuable income to shop owners. As being a member of the team at all festivals in stone i know the back ground info and at the end of the festival in October i asked a considerable amount of people and most said they were away from Stone and came for the festival. Will a new leisure centre, supermarket bring in them people to stone? no because they have their own in there town. The only thing that brings in people into Stone is festivals and events!
mark
Do you not think the plans will allow the food festival to continue? I believe it can continue.
Fight4Stone
Nope! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-21290823 Take a look at that!
Food Fest is 3 Days a Year!!
I think Richard Stevens is besically Black Mailing the town. He obviously wants no development. Maybe he is not the man to take the Food Festival forward with such a defeatist attitude. The Food festival used to just be on the High Street (which needs support) in the “good old days” and Bigger is not always Better. Why not limit stall holders to Stone food companies?? Makes Sense doesn’t it? With something like £50,000 in their bank account, why dont the Food Festival pay towards new Play Areas and such like? They could even buy their own land and charge what they like for people to get in 3 days a year. Old people who are stuck int heir ways should stand aside and let things progress.
Jack Taylor
Explain how he is ‘Blackmailing’ the town? I have to bring two points together for this but after a High Street survey 98% of shops say that they love the F&D festival and can’t wait for it to come along as it is their highlight and major source of income for the year! Richard Stevens has done more for the F&D festival and the Town in oe day than in your lifetime. Have you seen how big the festival is now? we are expanding every year, not by our choice by DEMAND! If we limited it just to Stone companies then it would then not the economic decline we are in at the moment, we have to share! You say their is something like £50,000 in the bank, yes there is a substantial amount but how do you pay for Marquees, Fencing, Ground Rent, Tables, Cookers, Signs, Leaflets, Promo Events etc?? You can’t! And if it was as simple as that then they may have done that but it obviously isnt! And i suggest you withdraw your comment about ‘Old people’ as they are the ones who know how to do the right things! You are blind visioned!
mark
Jack, I more confident about leaving the decision on the future of wbp to the planning professionals at bc because they, like me, have a thorough understaning of the planning system. I’m afraid not many old (or young) people do.
mark
Jack, have you got any evidence re. Income and the traders survey. Notwithstanding this, I support the f and d and want it to continue. I also believe it does help the town centre because it attracts people into the area, which is exacetly what a supermarket and new park will do. Linked trips.
mark
I’m not interested in reading sensational headlines, i’m more interested in your opinion and those that are actively involved in organising the food festival. It appears from the plans, which are still very much in draft, that there is adequate greenspace within WBP to accomodate the festival. How much land does the festival require? Have you been approached by SBC about this? I would hope, expect, the BC to consult with the organisers of the food festival to ensure that their needs are continued to be met.
Jack Taylor
There has been NO and i repeat NO consultation with any festivals that take place on WBP!
mark
Well this is the time for the organisers of the food festival and bonfire committee to get involved and make their points known to the bc. The bc have asked for the user groups to get in touch with them, as this been done. Its easier to change things if you get actively involved in the consultation process.
Stella
What are you on about RichardS? The food and drink festivals footprint seemed much smaller last year compared to previous years, you only used about one third of the field and that was spreading it all out a bit. I would rather have a new leisure centre that serves the people of stone everyday all year round than a glorified picnic that lasts one weekend in the hurricane season. I’m sure the bonfire can be safely held still, plenty of space, have you looked at the plans?
Chris Tibbitts
Theres plenty of room. Could you not use some of the field at the back (top right of the new plan). When we went last year (all 3 days) the stalls and marquees did not cover anywhere near all the grass. The only stretched as far back as the current skate park from what i can remember.
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