I'm sure that having a Business Improvement District is a great idea but I'm not entirely sure why. They have a very nice website but it mainly seems to list events organised by other people and we had at least three websites which did that before we had the BID. Thoughts, anyone? http://www.newburybid.com/newbury-events.aspx

There seems to be quite a bit more on that site than just listing events.

True, but apart from the BID rangers (who I've never spotted) it's not really clear what value the BID are adding. It's much more apparent from this http://www.winchesterbid.co.uk/ what the Winchester BID are doing and how they're measuring their efforts. Perhaps when Newbury has been up and running a bit longer we'll see a bit more.

I suspect it has a lot to do with the local environment. Winchester people seem a lot more positive. Whenever anyone suggests any development or modernisation in Newbury there is immediate and vociferous and generally ungrounded opposition. For instance:-
- creating a better museum by replacing a 1930's ersatz extension,
- removing some time expired and pedestrian ceramic tiles from a not particularly significant shop front,
- complaining about 'nothing going on in Market Place, then complaining about advertising when it does
So I'm not at all surprised that those managing the BID will take their time and keep the wraps on things until they are good and ready. Down to us really.

People in Newbury? Negative, moaning people, not wanting anything to change?

I think people like to see fair play and to feel their opinions are considered. Bearing in mind that I believe most people don't give stuff about anything other than the value of their house and their job.

With the museum, we were told what we were to have. Many complained about the design integrity. People could see it was a 'cheap option'. Cheap isn't always best.

It might have only been a set of tiles for some, to others it was a novel shop front that added a bit of colour to the vista. Notwithstanding they were removed without permission.

With the Market Place, which has cost ~£800,000.00 to repave, has seen a busy short stay car park, food vans and taxis removed, has been replaced with ... nothing, it seems. I think people can reasonably question what was all the effort for and was it good value.

That doesn't compute! If you don't give a stuff, you don't have an opinion?

I'm not on your wave length.

All I'm saying is that most people do not give a toss about what happens in Newbury, so long as it doesn't get in the way of their day to day business.The rest will be the people that do care, the 'vociferous' ones that care about the direction that our authorities take us.



The tone in your OP suggests that these people are little more than a nuisance. Perhaps they are, but if everything is not allowed to age (as in the old tiles on the Anchor Pub front), then we will have no history to speak of at all, and just look at the new buildings that have gone up in recent past that now blight our town scape, or once did! BT tower, Pearl House, New Cinema, 'elements' of Parkway, Newbury bus station, Kennet Shopping, Market St Council Offices, Tax Office, etc, ... I can think of few new builds in Newbury that we can be proud of.

Have you seen what the building looked like that the old Halfords (now Waterstones) replaced?

A bid ranger came to my office today and asked who's rubbish was piled up around our locked bin. I said I didn't know and that's why we lock it. He then asked if we could get it cleared up, or unlock the bin so that other people could use it.

I think that's pretty fair to say
The thing is those who are the vociferous type perhaps don't have "what's best" for Newbury in heart. It was an ageing town, it's Newbury not London, there's not really any history to it, it's a market town, which we have the Market Place. I see no reason why it can't be turned into a new, vibrant place to live - Currently it's a bit dingey to be honest.

A pretty building won't attract me to an area but you know what will? Fresh, clean and modern facilities with good shops and preferably free or very cheap parking.

A proper Ranger wouldn't need to ask.

"Chuck Norris doesn't flush the toilet, he scares the sh*t out of it."

You at least finished on a good note!

Ooops!

Of course they have 'what's best' for Newbury at heart - they just disagree with you on what's best for Newbury.

You think?

Everyone acts out of self-interest. Mostly people object to change because they don't like change. Sometimes they don't like its aesthetic and they'll articulate their objection as "good for Newbury", but it's still only about what's good for them and their world-view. Even apparently self-less objection is still motivated by preserving that personal world view, enlightened self-interest is still self-interest - and yes, I hope I'd share that world view.

Of course some people are more determined than others at ordering the world according to their personal taste, and in Newbury there are a couple of routes to riding the establishment to get what you want.

I can't help but feel that the BID's time would be far better spent lobbying landlords to offer good incentives for new businesses (or exciting pop-ups) to take up empty high-street units, rather than putting on superficial events or worrying about bins.

That and acting as a real pressure group against West Berkshire Council and its parking charges - which are the biggest threat to town centre viability. However, I get the impression that those involved with the BID, though undoubtedly well-meaning, are probably a bit too cosy with WBC for any of that.

Not that I'm speaking from a position of knowledge or anything - but I've lived in Newbs for quite a while now and really begrudge having to pay loads to park my car to look around not a lot of particularly interesting shops which are more expensive than the internet - so I'm sure other people do too.

Good post.

You can park for £5 all day in one car park, or get 2 hours free in 2 others in town.

Of course shops are more expensive than the internet - the overhead is that much more. It all depends on whether people want a town centre full of coffee & charity shops or not.

Newbury does seem to be pulling more out of area shoppers these days, particularly those sick to death of the same old same old you get in the Malls at Basingstoke and Reading. They have a place! Some friends of ours who hadn't been to Newbury for about five years were really taken with Parkway, saying 'What a refreshing change, its not all shut in'. He drove us in and we parked behind the Museum, came back from paying chuckling at the low price, compared to his home town, Guildford. The only disappointment was the sparse market, far smaller than remembered.

Do people from Newbury ever travel themselves? If so, can we list the towns, of similar potential and ambience, where the parking charges are insignificant?

It seems to me that we are in agreement - everyone has a personal, self-interested view of 'what is best' for Newbury - unsurprisingly this leads to disagreements over what should or shouldn't be done.

Yes, but with a BID everyone is in it together & can take a vote on what course to take.....

Well no, not really. To the extent that people have different outlooks, drives, and aspirations then yes, people will want different things, but that in itself doesn't create a disagreement. Normal rational people understand the need to compromise and cooperate and will often reach a consensus, and reasonable people also generally respect a democratic decision without disagreement if the process was fair and they were fully engaged.

That doesn't mean that we can't voice our disagreements with democratic decisions, because we can, that's all part of being free to express an opinion, but if there isn't confidence and engagement with the democratic process then that's a more serious business. It would be interesting to know whether the BID board still has the confidence of the businesses that elected it. The TCP was no great success and the BID will inevitably have inherited at least some of that baggage.