Derelict Town Centre Building Options

[TJHaines]

What shops would people like to see put in the old ATS tyre & exhaust centre in Thatcham Broadway that's supposedly going to be redeveloped into 3 shops and 13 flats?!

[Blake]

Well, I would like a cycle shop or automotive parts store back in the town. It has been some years since we had one in the town.

I do NOT want to see anymore restaurants, takeaways, charity shops or betting shops

[motormad]

What shops would people like to see put in the old ATS tyre & exhaust centre in Thatcham Broadway that's supposedly going to be redeveloped into 3 shops and 13 flats?!

Hopefully it'll be neither.
We don't need any more shops there - There are plenty of shops both shoot and super within 2 minutes walk, and there are enough people living in that area as it is, for new flats for council tenants who will undoubtedly keep smashing the bus stop up.
Ok that's presumptuous but are they going to be private flats, or council flats? Are they going to be to buy, or to rent?
Where are they going to park? There is not parking for 13 shops and a bunch of shops - Parking is bad enough on the A4 along that way as it is.....

If I had the money I'd open up a car tuning place.

[On the edge]

How about an electric bike / car shop...

[dannyboy]

Car tuning - is that so they can sing Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech ( actually had to google that one ) together?

[Exhausted]

If I had the money I'd open up a car tuning place.

How do you tune a modern car other than reprogram the ECU .

[stewiegriffin]

The previous plan for 13 flats was ridiculous, I'm glad that never happened. Can you imagine how small they would have been? And what about the parking?

Hopefully housing will be part of any new plan, but of a size that's liveable for the occupants and with enough parking.

Thatcham has enough bargain basement housing with phonebox dimensions as it is. St Thomas Court for example. I've never seen flats built that poorly before. No wonder the turnover there is so high.

[Exhausted]

Thatcham has enough bargain basement housing with phonebox dimensions as it is. St Thomas Court for example. I've never seen flats built that poorly before. No wonder the turnover there is so high.

But it's got to be better than a cardboard box in the high street. High turnover might be a good thing if people can start small and move up

[Turin Machine]

How do you tune a modern car other than reprogram the ECU .

Thats Easy, slap on a Halfords Body kit, paint it orange, an exhaust that drags on the ground, peel off the Corsa 1.2 badge and the jobs a goodun.

[motormad]

How do you tune a modern car other than reprogram the ECU .

Many ways.
Big turbo, decats, high lift camshafts, uprated head bolts, etc etc.

The thing with modern cars, especially turbo petrol & turbo diesel, is the manufacturer leaves so much headroom, you can often get a genuine 30-50bhp and 40-60lb ft of torque from pretty much any turbocharged car. And the component parts are often able to take far more than that. EG My car has over 145k on the clock. I've owned it since 99k and it's had various levels of tune on it since 103k. Always been serviced well with the correct oils, I'm now running over twice the stock BHP that my car came with and (so far) it's fine!

EG a Golf Mk4 1.8T with 150bhp will go to over 200bhp with only a remap (programming the ECU) and can very safely take the power. They can take around 320lb ft of torque before engine work is required, and then it's only rods and pistons which are pretty easy all things considered.

A lot of tuning is electronic because of the way the fuel injection system is operated, but "old school" tuning still exists and works along side the electronics - cam timing is changed, compression ratios, head porting, uprated pistons and rods, just because you need to use a computer to change fuelling rates and injection durations, does not mean that "old school" tuning is dead and I think those who go "oh it's just plugging a computer in" are normally pretty clueless!

Also having seen first hand a cars ECU when being remapped, and having a play with the mapping software itself, even I can't get it and I'm a geek!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFodFAuemAY

https://sites.google.com/site/vagecumap/und...anding-ecu-maps - This is just specific to my brand of car, but gives you an idea. If you actually want to learn it's a good starter site.

[Andy Capp]

There's no replacement for displacement!

[Biker1]

Thats Easy, slap on a Halfords Body kit, paint it orange, an exhaust that drags on the ground, peel off the Corsa 1.2 badge and the jobs a goodun.

You mean a bit like some of these ?

[Blake]

Automotive tuning is no longer about BHP and MPH. Now it's more about MPG with gas at over £6.50 per gallon and amid the growing menace of climate change.

[badmummajamma]

There's no replacement for displacement!

Brilliant.

[motormad]

Automotive tuning is no longer about BHP and MPH. Now it's more about MPG with gas at over £6.50 per gallon and amid the growing menace of climate change.

I still get 50mpg and my car is quicker than an R32.
I have a 1.9 engine... there is a replacement for displacement, it's called forced induction!

[wabbit]

The previous plan for 13 flats was ridiculous, I'm glad that never happened. Can you imagine how small they would have been? And what about the parking?

Hopefully housing will be part of any new plan, but of a size that's liveable for the occupants and with enough parking.

Thatcham has enough bargain basement housing with phonebox dimensions as it is. St Thomas Court for example. I've never seen flats built that poorly before. No wonder the turnover there is so high.

The reason flats at St Thomas Court have such a high turnover is that many of them are buy-to-lets with shorthold tenancies, which tend to cater to a pretty transitory workforce. As for 'phonebox dimensions', not entirely sure you could fit an 17' lounge/diner into a BT box!

Badly built? In their day JWP developments were a respected builder. Are you a developer yourself stewie?

[thatcham residen...]

I would like to see a proper Greengrocer and another butchers !

[stewiegriffin]

The reason flats at St Thomas Court have such a high turnover is that many of them are buy-to-lets with shorthold tenancies, which tend to cater to a pretty transitory workforce. As for 'phonebox dimensions', not entirely sure you could fit an 17' lounge/diner into a BT box!

Badly built? In their day JWP developments were a respected builder. Are you a developer yourself stewie?

I'm thinking more of the transfer of ownership in terms of turnover.

I've seen several of those flats and they're made of cardboard. Really poor quality, built to the lowest price possible, hopeless sound insulation which would never pass even the latest (not very stringent) regulations. The kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms are ridiculously small.

I used to be a developer, but not of flats.

[Simon Kirby]

I'd like a craft and modelling shop that sold stuff like mechano.

[motormad]

I'd like a craft and modelling shop that sold stuff like mechano.

Wouldn't mind lots of Lego tbh/