Village Centre Tarting Up

'Feet on the Street' - That's what it's all about.

Why should anyone walk down Market St let alone buy anything in any of the shops?

Going to the Doctors, - going to have your hair done, - meet up with your friends in the cafes for a chat, - going to the Library etc, - but an interesting and attractive shopping centre it isn't. It doesn't have the variety of shops particularly since the closure of the Butchers. No dedicated Greengrocer, no Clothes shop, no Furniture or Carpet shop, no Freezer shop, no Hobbies shop - make your own list up. (See later for Tesco)

On top of that it's a bit dilapidated - particularly the Precinct Buildings. Even worse until a few weeks ago the Precinct square was filthy. This has been partially sorted out by the jet washing of the flags and block paving and some of the shutters.

One of the walls previously painted back in 2000 has been re-painted as an example of what can be done but the remainder, particularly in the alley way at the side of the Post Office, are a disgrace. What are we talking about ? - £ 80 worth of paint from B&Q and a days labour by half a dozen volunteers.

The 'back doors' of the shops in the alleyway at the side of Pocket Savers and some elsewhere haven't been touched since the place was built. What are we talking about? - a belt sander and some fence paint.

The shutters on some of the shops aren't even painted let alone re-painted. Some traders seem to think that when they're shut and the shutters are down it doesn't matter but the image of Little Lever portrayed to anyone driving through the Village Centre after 5 o'clock says that nobody cares. How much to paint or re-paint. Frankly I don't know but I'm damned sure that if it was my business I wouldn't want people to think that I was as scruffy inside as I was outside - even if I wasn't.

Money - it's all about money. Most of the shops are rented or leased, particularly on the Precinct. I suspect that most of the leases, certainly the more recent ones, are 'self - repairing'. This means that the trader is responsible for the outside decoration as well as the inside. So this means that they would have to pay for it. I get the feeling that they think somebody else (meaning the Council) should pay for it.

What about the people who actually own the Precinct Buildings. According to the Land Registry it is owned by a company called Miller & Co - registered in Gibraltar, although I can find no trace of them at Companies House in Gibraltar. Anecdotally it's owned by a guy called Solomon who lives in either Manchester or London, depending on who you believe. It's managed by a firm of letting agents who the Council have had some contact with but who are adamant about not doing any significant improvements. The place apparently in mortgaged by Norwich Union so it's not clear if the owners have any interest other than in drawing the rents. I personally think that there's something fishy about it all and will continue to do so until the guy who nominally owns it sits down in Little Lever and explains what's going on.

The problem is that the Precinct Buildings in fact and in image represent a large part of the Village Centre. Why should Little Lever suffer a run down centre because some absent owner, who is probably swanning around the Mediterranean Sea, can't be arsed.

The square itself and the car parks are also private property owned by the same people. The Council have previously spent money on the square with trees and benches etc but are in a bit of a cleft stick because they don't actually own it or, as far as I know have permission to steam in there and make improvements such as re-laying the subsided flags.

Now we come to litter. Dog shit is very rare so we've leave that alone for the time being.
First of all there has been a large reduction in litter since the jet washing. Maybe this is to do with ' Give them a dump & they'll treat it like a dump. Give them somewhere clean and the majority will think twice.'

Most litter is from the wrappings of things that have been sold in the adjacent shops. How do I know this? - because for three weeks after the jet washing I have been picking it up every morning. OK, we know that it's the usual dozen suspects who seem to think that rules don't apply - either that or their parents are slobs who have brought up slobs.

What I don't get is that given this, traders haven't even, on opening up or closing up, got the pride to sweep up in front of their own premises. Once again they seem to think it's somebody elses job ( ie The Council). They are willing to let their customers wade through litter to get into their shops just as people previously walked over a filthy square without even noticing it.

In fact, in law, it is the responsibility of the traders to clear litter generated from their businesses whoever has dropped it - and the Council has the power to compel them to do it. A few Street Litter Control Notices might cause them to think about it.

By the same token, the Police and CPSO's seem to have little interest in accepting that they have a duty to enforce the litter laws. They have the means to do it (CCTV) and all the sanctions they need. A few well aimed Fixed Penalty Notices would wake up some of the offenders ( and their parents) to their dirty habits. Again - Can't be arsed.

Enough for now.
Yet to come - Village Identity - Signage - Floral Decoration - Feeling of Community - etc etc etc.

Come on you 16,000 - Feedback - Your opinions and ideas. Don't forget - you are the solution to the problem.