Your views needed

Please hold judgement of the block surface laying around Kidderminster Town Hall until the work is completed. It should finally be an excellent job and a benefit to the town.

Closure of The Glades and then the Bromsgrove Street buildings is proceeding. Demolition of the site is next up, after proper consideration, legal compliance and economic surety.

There are other outstanding issues. One is Crown House, another is the former Magistrates Court in lower Worcester Street.

That building would surely be an excellent centre for small workshops, flats, studios, cafe, and arts spaces etc.

Crown House, I believe, does not have any potentially interested parties who would pay for demolition and rebuild and for the time being, we are stuck with it!

It must eventually be demolished and the site redeveloped!

However, Lower Mill Street businesses are continuing to trade and thrive and that’s very good since the threat of compulsory purchase was lifted. Compulsory purchase must not be reimplemented under any circumstances. We must keep what is successful and used by customers and retain this old part of Kidderminster.

But there is one question I would like to ask members of the public.

Are you really in favour of reopening Worcester Street to oneway traffic? I am not!

I think to re-introduce traffic would go against intentions to turn those dozen or so empty shops into housing units and other relevant spaces. It would give pedestrians a false sense of security if traffic was reintroduced.

The centre of trade has shifted to Weavers Wharf and Worcester Street needs to attract new shops or indeed, as like my preference for the old Magistrates Court, perhaps craft workshops, small cafes, and studios, art spaces etc.

This whole debate about the redevelopment of Kidderminster needs a strong input from the public and I would be very interested to hear views.

Yours sincerely, Nigel Knowles - Labour Councillor - Kidderminster Town Council Leader of Wyre Forest District Council Labour Group