Alloa town centre transformation gets underway

Published 4 Nov 2009 12:33 9 Comments

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The Imagine Alloa project, which will see more than £2.4 million invested in the town, is gathering pace.

Visitors can't fail to have noticed the work being carried out by contractors QTS as the Clackmannanshire Alliance pulls out all the stops to improve Alloa town centre with the Government's town centre regeneration money, which must be spent by the end of March next year.

Primrose Street, Drysdale Street, Shillinghill and the top of High Street are the main areas to benefit from the massive investment.

Angela Leitch, chief executive at the council, said, "We're really pleased with progress so far. There is a lot of work going on in the town centre, lifting old and broken paving and digging test holes to investigate utilities like electricity and gas. Access to shops remains our top priority and we're working hard with traders to keep the town centre moving."

This week saw the removal of the iron anchor from the top of High Street. It is being moved to Limetree Walk to make way for the new events area and public art work commissioned for the town centre.

The council also wants to reassure town centre traders, residents and visitors alike that another key element of the town is being protected - its greenery. Most of the trees from the town centre will be removed while the work takes place but they will be replaced by new trees more suited to a town centre setting.

Council leader Janet Cadenhead, chair of Clackmannanshire Alliance, said, "It's important that we keep trees and small shrubs in the town centre. They soften the built environment and add a great deal to the look and feel of the town."

The main artwork for the town should be commissioned over the next three weeks. More than 70 national and international artists applied to take part in the Imagine Alloa project, a great response and a sign of the town's increasing profile as hub for the arts in Scotland.

Now that the artist in residence has been appointed, the project will also be doing more to work with traders on the arts elements of the scheme.

As part of the town centre works the bus station will be professionally cleaned, clearing it of dirt and graffiti. There is also a plan to add more accent lighting to the area. Lighting in the town is being improved and brought up to current British and European lighting design standards. The whole effect is to make the town centre a brighter and more welcoming experience.

The council now hopes to open an Information Point where people can come in and ask details about the project as it progresses over the coming months. The former Co-op shop on the corner of Drysdale Street and Primrose Street has been earmarked as a good town centre location and the project team hopes to have it open and ready for enquiries within the next two weeks.

Angela said, "We understand that carrying out such full scale redevelopment of the town centre before Christmas is not ideal. The timescale for completing the works is tight as the funding requirements state the improvements have to be completed by March 2010.

"We're doing all that we can to work with traders in the town centre, and our contractor QTS has already established a good working relationship with many businesses in the town.

"We're trying to be flexible, for example by making special arrangements for shop deliveries or by trying to do any particularly noisy or dusty work immediately outside shop doors out of hours - and any road resurfacing on Sundays.

"This type of close liaison is essential for a project working to such a tight timescale and we're hoping our information point will add an extra dimension to our efforts to keep communication lines open and make this project a huge success."

David Westland Alloa Town Centre BID Chairman "It is fantastic to see first hand tangible progress being made within Alloa town centre, highlighting exactly what can be achieved through this new and exciting partnership between the town centre BID, Alliance and council, under the banner of Imagine Alloa.

"The council is doing an excellent job liaising with businesses, organisations and contractors , ensuring that possible disruption is kept to a minimum."

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

Aileen Thomson
Unregistered User
Nov 5, 18:02
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It seems a shame to move The Anchor from the top of High Street to Limetree Walk. I wonder who decided this - the citizens or a bearucrat who never even lived in Alloa. The Anchor brought a sense of Alloa's past history as a busy harbour in the 19th century. Alloa's beautiful old buildings have either been neglected or swept away. All the transformations that Alloa has undertaken in the last forty years or so seem to have made it an eyesore. Primrose Street has been neglected for years. The Bus Station on Shillinghill didn't even have decent seats or protection from the rain. Mar Street has is bereft of people & activity. One newcomer to Alloa told me she was totally depressed when she saw the town center. Spend the money to improve the town center. More thinking about the community would be better than pouring the tax payers money into another disaster.

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Margaret
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Nov 8, 11:22
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This is ridiculous and people have very short memories! It is only about 5 or so years since the whole of the high street was completely resurfaced. At the time there was a huge hue and cry about the pavements as people could hardly walk on them and they ended up being ripped up and re laid. Whats the betting that if the council roads department are involved in any of the current projects, theyll mess things up so badly that the scheme will have to be re done shortly after its finished?

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******
Nov 10, 10:18
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Eddie
Unregistered User
Nov 10, 10:25
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I trust that the council are going to publish a

full itemised account of where every single pennyrnof this huge grant is spent. This is not being

unreasonable in a time where trust in politicians

and public figures is at an all time low. I would

hate to think that public money was to be used tornboost some rich builders or councillors pension

fund.

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Greg Arius
Unregistered User
Nov 12, 10:06
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Firstly, it's not council money OR a grant- this is not money that has to be paid back or has come from the council tax payer. This is money which ahs come from central govt and has already been allocated due to the highly succssful efforts of Clacks Alliance and the BID.

Please make sure your facts are straight before making meddlesome commments such as the above on a public forum.

Without these improvements this town will continue in a downward spiral, quickly reaching it's tipping point without a concerted effort from those who actually have the wherewithal to get off their backsides and orchestrate something positive rather than just accept the town is doomed to failure. Accept and embrace these positive changes and try to focus on the fact this is one of the very few chances when a town gets something for nothing in order to make the public realm a better and more attractive place for visitors, residents and businesses.

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Jimmy Neebur
Unregistered User
Nov 12, 19:36
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Ah see yer commenting there Eddie - ah missed ye at the last Taxpayers Alliance meeting eh. Well said Greg Arius fur supporting the improvements in the town centre. Yon other folk are so negative that ah could take them intae Boots and get a fine set of 6x4 prints run off. Cooncil roads department fer crying oot lood... spot the neebur that didnae get their drop kerb done quick enough!

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wilma fyfe
Unregistered User
Nov 25, 14:58
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i think the improvements are a good thing but do we really need more stupid art work that costs a bomb, why not spend the money on something thats really needed in the county. the council needs to look again at how it is spending money.

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stephen mc andrew
Unregistered User
Dec 2, 16:28
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I agree with aileen thomson as why cant they put the anchor back to where it was as no many people will see it in its new place and more people visit the town. But i dont know why the council cant ask the public what they would like to be done to there town and to be honest there nothing for the kids.

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Present position
Unregistered User
May 7, 19:53
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I currently work on this redevelopment and I am amazed at the quality of materials and the workmanship. I can however also appreciate that the distruption must be a nightmare for residents and the local businesses. However over all I feel the redevelopment to be in Alloa's best interest and one should look to the future and not be overly sentimental about the past. I do agree that modern art work should not take center stage, plant a nice tree and place benches and seating would be my ideal, more so in this green conscious environment we now find ourselves in. As for the anchor, I agree this is your heritage and should have been mounted at the Highstreet along with a a copper still. But alas in 100 years time we may be having the same discussion about what is there today... I wish you all the best.

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Present position
Unregistered User
May 7, 20:21
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I currently work on this redevelopment and I am amazed at the quality of materials and the workmanship. I can however also appreciate that the distruption must be a nightmare for residents and the local businesses. However over all I feel the redevelopment to be in Alloa's best interest and one should look to the future and not be overly sentimental about the past. I do agree that modern art work should not take center stage, plant a nice tree and place benches and seating would be my ideal, more so in this green conscious environment we now find ourselves in. As for the anchor, I agree this is your heritage and should have been mounted at the Highstreet along with a a copper still. But alas in 100 years time we may be having the same discussion about what is there today... I wish you all the best.

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0

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