IT'S THE SAME HERE IN COVENTRY.
Medieval Coventry,--a few bits left, it's a joke.
Piecemeal building , big ideas.
Got some money--let's use it on a new hairbrained scheme which no-one wants, forget the holes in the roads. That ancient building there?--let it rot until it's too far gone , then we can knock it down and build a new monstrosity, or make a new one way system.
Anything for money.
Last week I went to see The Coventry Charterhouse which was bequeathed to the citizens of Coventry by a benefactor .
It was a lovely mediaeval building by the river---lots of -our-money was spent on it in the 80s.
Now it is a boarded up wreck-part of it used by Tile hill College-but the rest , a mess, and the Elizabethan garden which was restored in the 8os at exraordinary expense, is no more than a wilderness.
Of course the people who planned all this have moved on to other towns-probably Stratford (beware) and cannot be blamed now, but we have a new lot every few years who do radical things and move on as before.
The problem also is that the people in charge are not interested in Coventry-don't want to know the 'feel' of it or the people---armchair planners.
The same goes for Stratford-upon Avon. You have to watch them ---and complain before it is too late---it can be done ---remember the glass spire that some joker decided was a 'must have' for Coventry? well that died a quick death after all the complaints. (I complained with a poem)

The worst part Mari. Is the council have yet to give a single justification for these extremely expencive alterations, and why it was necessay to come up with a plan that meant taking down so many of the trees which have probably been there since Shakespeare's days.

It is shameful. I'm still in favour of Stratford getting modernised, but modernised doesn't have to mean destroying what we already have, and changing buildings to something you could imagine being sold at Ikea.

World class Stratford is a joke, because the people who are in charge of it, clearly have no idea, and are completely uninterested in the opinions of the people who live here.

18 July 2007
The plans to fell and replace trees in the Bancroft Gardens, in Stratford-upon-Avon, succeeded when the rug was pulled from under the feet of protesters.

To consider World Class Stratford's proposals for redeveloping the gardens and the recreation ground, Stratford District Council’s west area planning committee met and at that time, Cllr Richard Hobbs (Cons, Snitterfield), the chairman declared that the trees were not for discussion.

A cry of "disgraceful” was provoked from the public gallery by his comment and later, his action was described as "dishonest" by former Stratford mayor, Cllr Bill Lowe.

The planning application which includes re-landscaping the gardens and 'rec' and, controversially, replacing the lockbridge at the entrance to the canal basin was agreed by the committee to approve unanimously.

Objectors to the tree scheme protested in the Bancroft Gardens on 7th July.

Will,

I was in Bancroft Gardens on the 7th July when there was a group holding a petition about the felling of the trees and the plans for a new bridge. My husband and I signed the petition. The group of people holding the protest were , i think ,called - Stratford Vioce- and they said they are setting up a website. so I gave them my details.
here is a link
[url=http://www.thebestof.co.uk/stratford%20upon%20avon/news/4622]Sign-A-Thon weekend brings Human Rights to the fore - Stratford upon Avon - Latest Local News[/url]

I think locals should be up in arms about these proposals. :mad:

They want to cut about 40 trees down I think. What gets me is the Bancroft gardens are my favourite part of STratford. Near the top is one of the last refuges from the crowdes and the tourists, and boasts from beautiful trees. THe council wants to turn most of it into pathways and more tourist attractions.

Tourists and money, that's all that seems to matter. It won't be long before the open fields the other side of the river are dug up and turned into more shops and houses. It's my firm belief that this is the real reason for the bridge. I don't think they'll be happy until every blade of grass in Stratford is uprooted.

The worst part is, Stratford does badly need modernising. But the council seem to want to do this at the expence of Stratford's natural beauty, and by installing ugly buildings that in no one fit in with their surroundings. The new RSC is going to look incredably tacky, just like the new (and already largely unused) bell court.

The "sculpure" on the banbury road is just one example of how they get it so wrong. It's not only ugly, it's completely and utterly irrelivant. It doesn't have to be about Shakespear, but it could at least have something to do with the market town we know as STratford Upon Avon!

Rant over!

I also understand that there are plans to cut down trees in Bancroft gardens, to make a more open view to the theatre. I think this is a potty idea, and should leave the park in its lovely appearance as it is. I don't know how the Council can even contemplate such vandalism.
What do others think on this matter ?

:rolleyes:

I was in Stratford about a month ago , where there was a group petitioning against this new 17th century geometry instrument sculpture. I must say I was one of those who did not like it.

:(

I saw this 'sculpture last week.
It looks like a giant half buried giroscope.

A large Roden would look good, especially on a roundabout.Perhaps 'The Thinker'
we could all circle the roundabout a few times while we are thinking about which way to go to get out of Ye Olde Sratford.

Welcome to WarwickshireOnline Denny Crane.

Have they started creating the bridge? I haven't been to Stratford for a while so haven't taken any photos there for a couple of years.

I like it. It has style and character, more than parts of Stratford have.
Thumbs up to the council for this beautiful piece of architechture.

If you have an ye ol stratford theme park for tourists, which you should have as you're getting the biggest chunk of this counties funding, then it's going to pot a bit like the now defunct American adventure theme park did. The themeing's gone and the park need an extensive maintenance overhaul.
A chrome bridge over the river is like putting a space ship ride in the middle of American adventure. I wonder if it will have the same effect on stratford.

I agree with leofric on this, and I like it, I like it because it's different and it's not put somewhere were different matters. It's on a soulless roundabout. and lots of roundabouts now have something on them. Brightens my trips out up.

As far as I'm concerned, Ye Olde Stratford theme park, and the roundabout that talent forgot, are one in the same thing.

[quote="Will"]It seems the ugly monstrosity on the Banbury road is non too popular. I still haven't driven past it yet, but I saw this picture and I can see why it's not been received too well.

[img]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42780000/jpg/_42780163_armillary203.jpg[/img]

I've never really understood why councils up and down the country, feel such a strong urge to add art to roundabouts. Apparently it is supposed to show the life and times of Shakespeare. Whether this is something you have time to study as you're driving around it remains to be seen.

I personally think it's entirely possible that if they'd found somewhere half-decent to put his £100,000 structure, rather then a roundabout, it may have stood a half decent chance of being popular. But art on roundabouts generally says to me 'tacky', 'pointless', 'art for art's sake', 'clashing hideously with it's surroundings'.

Apparently there was a public consultation about it, but I don't remember getting consulted, there was certainly nothing in the papers. Exactly what are the bare minimum requirements for a public consultation?[/quote]

It's because the country is now filled with towns that have become sprawls of dual carriagways, main roads and large roundabouts and pretty soulless and characterless. They're just trying to make these spaces look a bit more interesting. Not everyone likes the same things, which is unfortunate. If they put something on the roundabout you like, then there'd be other people who wouldn't like it.

One of the roundabouts in Coventry has a blue twirl in it to represent Coventry's ribbon weaving heritage. Britain's towns and cities are filled with public art dating back centuries. It's not a new thing.

I don't know why anyone's so bothered about it. The fact that Statford's been turned into a dreadful Ye Olde Stratford theme park, complete with US chain coffee bars is far more disgraceful than a piece of art on a roundabout!

[quote="chillitt"]I'm sure it will be lovely when it gets a tarp thrown over it and some hippy types move in... :eek: [/quote]

Now, there's an idea.... wonder if the council will charge them ground rent :rolleyes:

How can I put this without being to crude?

I wouldn't waste my wee on this structure.