Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tonbridge in 2029....
I've lived in Tonbridge for twenty years now, almost to the day, so I thought it might be an idea to share with you my vision for Tonbridge town centre in twenty years time. The obvious place to start is with the railway station. It is well overdue a total revamp and there's been much talk recently about making Tonbridge a South East transport hub; and why not? It's in a very good location both in terms of roads and rail networks and it has acres of space around the station which is ripe for redevelopment. I've never really thought of this before but, in a way, Tonbridge is a bit like Doctor Who: it has two hearts! So why not a huge new shopping centre right in the new heart of the town in and around the railway station complex. So that shoppers from many miles around can step off the train, bus or out of their cars and be right at the centre of a Blue Water sized 21st century shopping experience. Rather like Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre if anyone has ever been there. For those who fancy more of a Brighton Lanes type experience then Tonbridge would cater for that also with its oldy worldy cobbled streets around the North end of the High Street and the Castle with the new old-style shops of the Botany area complementing this and all within a ten minute walk of the new transport station. So no need to go to Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone or even Blue Water for your Christmas presents. Shoppers would be flocking to Tonbridge instead of Tonbridge shoppers flocking to other towns. The traffic problem would be sorted out by the new A21 duel carriage way having been completed and the, so called, missing link between, London Road and Canon Lane finally having been given approval and being built in time for the rejuvenated Tonbridge project. This would filter any traffic which did not require the town centre away from the shopping areas. There'd be a whole new restaurant quarter of the town around, and even on, the river and around the new town lock centre. There'd be a state-of-the-art multi screen cinema and leisure complex in the New Angel Centre and Tonbridge Juddians would finally have been awarded a grant to build it's new 5,000 seat stadium completed to time with their promotion to rugby's premier league! Just a pipe dream? Who knows it's all in our hands if we want it to happen we all have to do our bit even if it's just signing the odd petition or attending a meeting to put forward ideas. The council, TMBC and Kent County Council, must all play their part. But there's no doubt that it could be done, because it has been achieved elsewhere. With enough funding, and the right kind people behind it and with no small amount of good luck it could happen in Tonbridge....
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4 comments:
I've looked into the future and guess what, there will be very few shops in Tonbridge. The shoppers of tomorrow wont be buying in high streets or shopping malls. Town centres will be just for recreation.
Shame the people who are actually in charge, are a bunch of bland clueless and visionless bureaucrats then.
I like your vision, but sadly I doubt if very much, if any, of it will happen. This is a real shame because Tonbridge could be a truly great town with a bit of imagination (like yours) and lots of investment. The area around the castle, and the old town generally, and the riverside could be fantastic with the right vision.
I agree that high streets are an endangered species, but I can see high streets perhaps becoming more traditional and specialised shopping, particularly if there is some help from the council. Shopping malls still seem incredibly popular even though many people shop on the internet, so there should still be developers prepared to risk such a development.
There has been talk about developing the south end of Tonbridge for years, but nothing ever seems to happen. Does anyone know if there are still plans for this run down part of town?
It's true that internet shopping has been the huge growth area. But there's now clear evidence that people are moving steadily back to more traditional shopping because, basically, they like the experience. It's a social event and you try cloths on and touch and smell and play with the things you're going to buy. You can't really do those things when you are sitting in your bedroom or dining room typing on your own!....
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