Newbury has always had a special sparkle for me ever since those exciting days in the 50’s when my mother used to bring me into town on the steam train and we used to walk from the station and browse the dozens of small shops and the hustle and bustle of a vibrant market place.  The big stores like Woolworths (sadly no longer with us) and to enjoy a luxury meal of fish & chips for 1s 6p on the way back to the station.

Life has changed over the years and so has Newbury.  I would be the last person to stand in the way of progress but has that progress been handled properly here in Newbury.

Following the opening of the Bypass in 1998 we were given the opportunity to look at our town without those endless queues of North and Southbound traffic.  We had a chance to reorganise our town to enhance some of the wonderful facilities and features like the Canal, our museum and Victoria Park, etc.  Have we squandered our inheritance in the pursuit of a vision that was too ambitious and has caused so much upheaval and inconvenience in our town?

Parking has been a major problem in Newbury in recent years. I am a supporter of pedestrianisation but not in the way that it has developed here in Newbury.  To be a pedestrian you have to find somewhere to park and that facility seems to have been slowly withdrawn over the years.  Even if you can park the fees are shall we say a little excessive.

Millions of pounds have been spent on Newbury’s cobbled streets. Has this been money well spent?  Granted it all looks very nice although lack of maintenance seems to be taking its toll in certain areas, particularly the area at the traffic lights at the junction of Bartholomew Street and Bridge Street.

In the Market Place we have been waiting nearly 4 years for the cafe culture to enable tables and chairs to be placed in the central area for alfresco dining. We are still waiting. Summer 2010 is almost over and still no sign of those tables and chairs. It would be more beneficial to the town to restore the area as a car park.

We have a huge shopping centre being built but is this 10 years too late.  Our visionaries were not happy with the modest plans being put forward by the developers in the early 2000’s.  We had to have this huge structure the construction of which is currently tearing the heart and soul out of our town centre.  Hopefully, the much sought after major retailers will be queuing up to take the new shop units in Parkway. We have just 12 months to wait until the official opening in the Autumn of 2011.

However what will be happening to the rest of the town.  Debenhams have been paid four million pounds to move into Park Way depriving the Kennet Centre of its anchor store.

In Park Way, we gave all of our car parks and half the road away to the developers for a paltry £1.00.  We have had to suffer endless road works and inconvenience. Have you seen what they have done to The Broadway?  £600,000 of tax payer’s money changing the road layout only to make things inconvenient for traffic particularly buses.

How many of you have been stuck in traffic jams in the Wharf where they have plonked a Library at a peculiar angle not to mention the problems with the roof that delayed the opening by nearly 2 years.

We now learn that they intend to close Park Way Bridge and restrict it to taxis and buses only.  Ten years ago I pleaded with the Council on behalf of the retailers to make it a two way bridge.  My pleas were met with derisory comments.  As well as my suggestion that the site of the old Turnpike School would have been the ideal location for a new cinema and an ice-skating rink strategically positioned twixt Newbury and Thatcham to serve both towns with plenty of space for a car park.  We now have our new cinema and I understand that it is thriving but in the process we lost the second most popular car park in Newbury and have ended up with another carbuncle rivalled only by the telephone exchange.

A plan to refurbish Victoria Park was created by Newbury Town Council and submitted for a lottery grant.  This would have provided enhanced cafeteria facilities and changing rooms in the centre of the park.  This was not good enough for our visionaries who want to erect a huge multi-purpose pavilion in one corner, poorly designed and sadly lacking in sensible vehicular access.

Where are we going with this vision 2025?  Do we still care about the future of our town?  I feel that the character of Newbury has been lost in this enforced "makeover", and it is not the pleasant Market Town that we used to know and love.