Forum Topic

Mary Portas Pilot Re-Generation of Towns

12 Town centres around the country are to get over £1m to try to regenerste them.Bedford, Croydon, Dartford, Bedminster, Liskeard, Margate, Market Rasen, Nelson, Newbiggin by the Sea, Stockport, Stockton on Tees and Wolverhampton.I had no idea where Newbiggin was, had to look it up.I have been to Nelson, Stockport and Wolverhampton fairly recently and agree, they need major investmentWhat one thing would we need in Brentford to increase the "footfall" or business in the high street ?If not a Wimpy, what about a Planet Hollywood or a Ann Summers shop ?

Richard Smith ● 4819d14 Comments

Tape of Mary Portas demanding a council lets her do her her reality TV show on which they 'have to' appear as her puppets/Muppets or she pulls the plug and buggers off.  So much for 'social conscience'.

Philip Walsh ● 4802d

I wouldn't mind my shop being back on the High Street but after the hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted by the local police in attempting to bankrupt me and my company that's not very likely !!.A decent Cannabis caf'e would be nice just to prove the fact that it's customers would be less of a nuisance than those attracted to pubs and clubs. As for the Butterfly House I would love to see that back in Brentford it was a real loss to  the area.  I spent many an hour there when my children were small and they both have very positive memories of their time there.An art centre that features something other than 'minority group' art in order to obtain funding!. A mainstream cinema perhaps!  A youth centre! A music venue!  A decent promenade by the river as opposed to a multi million pound riverside estate that has a paved area by its jetty. Some decent restaurants/cafes/eateries, not Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC and the homogenised pub chains that have done so much to RUIN so many High streets  with their unimaginative and poor quality products.How about some more parking provisions and better riverside canal side access and provisions, boat hire perhaps.Not sure about the ants but why not if it adds something unique and worthwhile as opposed to tried tested and boring

Philip Walsh ● 4805d

What would you like to see in Brentford Phillip ?Apart from a major tourist attraction, I am not sure what would bring locals or non locals to the High Street in Brentford.I am currently thinking of purchasing a log flume for that neglected bit of the Thames parallel to the High Street or a re-vamp of the Butterfly house, combined with the World's biggest Ant farm in the W + K building opposite the Beehive.We could gather up all the sand and rubble left over from the Olympics and Brentford High Street works, poor it into a seethrough perspex mega container and let the ants go forth and multiply.At least I have some ideas

Richard Smith ● 4805d

Bring in Starbucks !!!! talk about aiming low,  Why would anyone want a S**t hole like that on the High Street??.  Over priced dishwater coffee and sterile food, the coffee smells great but tastes like dishwater.  The place it's self filled with people that have more money than sense even the poor ones.As for the rise in Chiswick prices, the rise that has forced out just about everyone that was born in Chiswick and turned a once nice place to live into an over priced haven for the self important and pretentious. Does Brentford need ruining too.  As it is most of the locals children will never be able to offerd the flats in the new development let alone houses for their children to grow up in.Brentford shoud be trying to create a town fit for it's children to grow up in not a boom town for conglomarates and those with enough money to take advantage of the property boom at the expense of those currently living in the town, but that's all that's on offer and seemingly all that is being asked for.  Why is that? is it because vested interests drive the local steering group or just the greed of those with property investments driving things forward to benefit themselves or is it that Brentfordites are to stupid to see that what should be an opportunity for a better town for all the locals; will when 'the ropes being deliberative used to bind the town in stagnation' are finally broken, be handed on a plate to those with enough money to steal it.Put money into local businesses and let them bloom, not fill the town with mega rich corporations offering minimal wages to those that used to have a struggling but optimistic business on the High Street.They might even sell coffe that not only smells nice but also tastes not just nice but like coffee!!.

Philip Walsh ● 4805d

Bring in a Starbucks. I'm serious! The effect that it has had on Chiswick high road is amazing. If you all remember, 15 years ago, Chiswick's high street was terrible. Nobody went there, even if they lived locally, prefering to shop elsewhere. Now you can't move along the high street and Sunday's are manic. They do say that when a Starbucks moves in the area changes..others would have to smarten up and the little boutique shops (that keep closing down-the vintage clothes shop and the little gift shop at the far end of Brentford's high street) would thrive. It could be a great high street if more people knew about it. Taking an out of town friend there the other day, she did not realise it was even a place! She though that it was a road you drove through to get to Hounslow. Most people I know wouldn't visit Brentford for any other reason than to see family/friends and that is a shame. We mustn't complain about some 'chains' such as starbucks or M&S, these shops bring wealth to an area..Just look at the Chiswick prices now. I would love the same for Brentford in the future and to give it a High Street to be proud of. After all, they are building enough new "luxury' flats etc.. why not bring in some luxury brands to keep it all afloat. If not, these new comers will eventually move out and the whole area will become derelict in another 10 years.

J Lawrenson ● 4805d

Couldn't agree more Phil - the High Street is a shithouse and has been for a long time, and it's down to Hounslow Council.The sheer waste of resources on the south side is criminal.

Ian Silver ● 4814d

it's not been like that through all the years the grants have been available and Brentford has clearly been 'kept' underdeveloped

Philip Walsh ● 4814d

We are of the opinion that the Borough is affected by the low aspirations previous planners have had for the Borough.  :-(

Sarah Felstead ● 4814d

I'd rather doubt that - have you been to Hounslow High St. recently???

Vanessa Smith ● 4814d

Brentford's brilliant; what a joke! it's so good the developers are prepared to lie in their sales literature by calling parts of it Kew bridge  The High Street is one the biggest crap hole in any west of London town despite the huge amounts of money made available to modernise it around fifteen years ago; or is it because its council in Hounslow doesn't want any more competition at this end of the borough (my belief).

Philip Walsh ● 4814d

Am liking the recent Brentford is Brilliant banner near the Beehive !

Richard Smith ● 4815d

The Brentford High Street Steering Group, actually Andrew Dakers, applied for the Mary Portas project.  We were all really fired up and would have been great for our High Street but sadly we weren't successful.  We received a good response and they may actually be able to offer something in the future.  Seems they were inundated with applications.We do have another little project we are currently working on.

Julia Quilliam ● 4818d

This amount of money is a drop in the ocean and a complete waste of time while the current economic situation exists. We find we do a lot of shopping on the internet now as do the majority of people, who wants to schlepp around shops in this weather?

Vanessa Smith ● 4818d

Lap or pole dancing club?

Keith Iddon ● 4818d