'Future of the Town'

Last week, I uploaded a podcast called ‘Future of the Town’, in which we asked the question, ‘Should town centres focus on retail or become a more entertainment-based heart of the town?’. It was great to review the comments that made which did not only respond to what was discussed in the podcast itself, but also addressed ideas surrounding the subject and other ways in which town centres could improve beyond the retail/entertainment based argument - thank you very much to all who commented on this important matter!

Town centres have to be a place that attract people’s attention and presence. They are the ‘heart of a town and the heart of a community’. The focus of this episode was Huddersfield town centre…

‘Huddersfield has been in decline for ages’ – Oliver Eaton

‘Huddersfield […] feels like a quickly dying town’ – Ellie McLaughlin

‘Huddersfield town centre is really bad’ – Louis Edwards

The feedback received suggests that the town centre of Huddersfield is a big problem to residents. So, this was a great place to start the podcast. The place of retail was a recurring comment in the feedback and the idea of the town becoming a ‘social hub’ which would involve restructuring the layout of the town centre seemed to be a popular suggestion. This would involve updating the retail opportunities as well as adding entertainment features to create a more vibrant and attractive hub.

However, what also featured in the feedback were the factors of crime, residential areas, transport infrastructure and planning restrictions. These are all elements that weren’t discussed in the podcast that are highly relevant to the issue. It was intriguing to read how not only Huddersfield, but other town centres more local to respondents could improve their facilities to suit the community better.

“Populating the high street during the day with a captive audience will bring a sense of community” – Simon Blackledge

The high street will only flourish if there is life in it and therefore the existence of residences enters the equation. This means not only has retail got to continue, but other facilities such as coffee shops, restaurants or pubs must also be present to allow town centres to thrive not only throughout the day, but also throughout the night.

Overall, the insightful and revealing comments by all listeners have been eye-opening and contentious, which was the idea behind the podcast. Once again, thank you to every who tuned in; your feedback will be highlighted in the next podcast!

Oscar