Changing Negative Perceptions Of Wrexham
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You are quite right zinger. Our town centre has been ruined while chester city centre retains its history and appears to be thriving.
How much of the town centre has historical value nowadays ?
I was looking through some old photos of 70’s Wrexham.
Looking back, we had a functional, beautiful town with heritage.
Then came the developers & the modernisers.
Or beautiful buildings went to landfill, our heritage into a museum and the developers made a mint and went into barn conversions.Bad decisions with no foresight got us here.
How do we get it back ? I don’t know, but if I had my choice, I’d prefer the Wrexham of the 70’s. Warts and all.
Btw, I’m not living in the dark ages, just loved the character.
We had MOST of the attributes of an old market town.
We now have the attributes of a slowly failing retailing hash up!If wrexham is to become the place which has the biggest prison in GB that would certainly change the negative perception of wrexham to a worse one.
Just imagine the pub banter in 10 years in the future:
“Was in Wrexham last week”
“Didn’t know you had done anything wrong.”“What do you call a big house in Wrexham?”
“A prison.”“What do you call someone with a job in Wrexham?”
“A prison guard.”“What the difference between Eagles Meadow and the Super Prison?”
Etc.
@thewayneinspain 3077 wrote:
If wrexham is to become the place which has the biggest prison in GB that would certainly change the negative perception of wrexham to a worse one.
Just imagine the pub banter in 10 years in the future:
“Was in Wrexham last week”
“Didn’t know you had done anything wrong.”“What do you call a big house in Wrexham?”
“A prison.”“What do you call someone with a job in Wrexham?”
“A prison guard.”“What the difference between Eagles Meadow and the Super Prison?”
Etc.
Sadly, I agree, but jobs are jobs. The Wrexham area over the last 5-10 years has been hemorrhaging jobs and businesses. That’s the only positive.
@Sam 3086 wrote:
Sadly, I agree, but jobs are jobs. The Wrexham area over the last 5-10 years has been hemorrhaging jobs and businesses. That’s the only positive.
I’d agree with jobs, but i think this will stop investment and jobs.
For instance, if i ever moved back to wrexham, and if the prison came to wrexham would i set up an office in wrexham? Hell no, chester or mold. Image is everything and being based in town were people are the most likely to be sent for committing crime, I’d be an idiot to set up business there.
I totally agree with you Wayne. The truth is Wrexham has always seemed to make decisions for a short term fix irrespective of the long term consequences.
Wrexham town centre a prime example of this.I am in agreement. It wouldn’t enhance the town in any way. As with big businesses coming here advertising for staff, it sounds good to employ more people but after the initial opening the jobs are always cut to the minimum, then you are stuck with it. Why here anyway?
The prison guard joke made me laugh! I was talking to someone about that the other night and apparently you can’t work in a prison if it’s in the town you live in, which I think has to be BS, but it would be worth finding out as “jobs” to the area is a push if that’s true
The negative attitude to Wrexham will not be countered by the expenditure of £20,000 on a marketing exercise. Though there is something in the local culture that appears negative about a whole range of things, those who slate the town can base their position in well documented thought. The recent work by the New Economics Foundation and the recent All Party Committee on Markets would both find Wrexham a classic example of a lack of joined up thinking. Eagles Meadow could and should be an out and out success story. It does bring people to the town. Unfortunately the geniuses who designed it located it in such a way that it has altered footflow patterns. This has adversely affected the rest of the town and has adversely affected the traditional town centre and, in particular, the Independent and Market sector.
The pattern of development is very much what the NEF have noted in a typical Clone town scenario. To counter, the Council has to develop a finely nuanced response based around multiple response strategies. This might mean selective pedestrianisation, it might mean rent reviews for Borough owned properties (like the Markets), it might mean better signage. The town has to be locked back together, traversing made easier and more user friendly, etc
As the council is in a cost cutting exercise, I don’t think it is in a financial position to cut rents, pedestrianise more of the town or do any physical changes to the town without council tax rising sharply the year after next.
I don’t think there is a fix for the town’s footfall or worsening shop vacancy problem without the council taking a hit that is more than what they got for the eagles meadow land.
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