HAPPY New Year! Here we go again. I wonder what’s waiting for us in 2009? I fervently believe we should examine redevelopment plans for Macclesfield town centre very closely.
Our children and grandchildren must live with our decision and we can’t afford another Vicky Park flats debacle. If the town centre becomes a concrete and glass monstrosity, as seems likely from current proposals, Macclesfield will lose whatever’s left of its proud market town heritage.
We know Macclesfield town centre is dated and losing business to out-of-town retailers but the tide’s turning in the US from ubiquitous malls to downtown shopping. That trend will eventually filter through to the UK so we need to be ready. Concrete and glass just won’t do it.
What is working in North America is boutique shopping and cafes in stylish downtown developments. Of course, the chain stores will continue to take the giant share of retail sales but there’s a genuine hunger for innovation and style that can’t be found in Wal-Mart.
If Tesco can put a 50,000 square foot store on stilts then developers Wilson Bowden need to show some creative thinking not simply mimic Milton Keynes.
They need to make Macclesfield a destination town not some insignificant local commercial centre. How much money did Macclesfield attract from out of town shoppers this Christmas? I don’t know the answer but I’m willing to bet it wouldn’t buy you a three-piece suite at Arighis.
This is a BIG decision and the way it was rushed through the initial selection process then stalled, amended and re-presented doesn’t build confidence. With the current financial climate and uncertainty in the building industry, we could end up with a real botched job.
This is one project we just have to get right. MBC have a long history of rolling over to developers. This is no time to play dead. Councillors need to be up for the challenge not rubber-stamping everything developers put in front of them. Either that or get Tesco to handle the project for them. They seem able to get whatever they demand as and when they want it. Tesco know the importance of access, have strong commercial awareness and are tough negotiators.
I can’t imagine anything Tesco develop being anything but a rip-roaring success.
I did say we had to think outside the box. There’s my contribution.
The views on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express
