Home Town or Clone Town?

The Clone Town Britain Survey is designed by nef (the new economics foundation) to determine whether your town is a Clone Town indistinguishable from dozens of others around the country; or a genuine Home Town that is distinctive and recognisable as a unique place. The Clone Town Britain Survey is simple and can be used in any town in the UK. It should take no more than 30 minutes and can be completed while strolling along your local high street ... more

Mike Goodenough

Cherry blossom time

Tree just coming into blossom at the Medieval Hall courtyard garden Stroud yesterday.

Stella Parkes 

The economic value of public space

A high-quality public environment can have a significant impact on the economic life of urban centres big or small, and is therefore an essential part of any successful regeneration strategy ... more

Stella Parkes

Reclaiming the space

All too often, habit and busy lives can make us forget that urban spaces and pavements can be more than a path along which to hurry from A to B. These under-used assets could be enhanced to help revitalise our town centres, boost economic performance, support regeneration, and build community pride and social integration.

Read the rest of the Government report : "Re-imaging urban spaces to help revitalise our high streets."

Stella Parkes

The social value of public spaces

Public spaces play a vital role in the social and economic life of communities. New kinds of public spaces and meeting places are now being created in towns and cities, which can be an important social resource. In this summary of research projects undertaken in England and Wales, Ken Worpole and Katharine Knox explore how people use both traditional and new public spaces, and how these places function, often successfully, sometimes not. The summary provides clear evidence of the importance of public space in successful regeneration policies, and for creating sustainable communities.

Read the rest of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report here.

Stella Parkes

More picnickers

Back in the autumn of 2014 you would have been lucky to find a place to sit on this sunny Saturday. If you recognise yourselves in this photo - please get in touch.

Mike Goodenough

Unanimously agreed

Here is the minuted decision of Stroud Town Council at their March 2nd meeting:

'It was unanimously agreed that public access to the curtilage of the restored Medieval Hall at the top of Stroud High Street should be preserved, and to give the Town Council’s support to an application on behalf of the local community to have this space registered as a Town Green.'

Mike Goodenough

A garden for the whole of Stroud

Trying to establish how large a ‘neighbourhood or locality’ we can claim is served by the Courtyard Garden has been difficult. However, we have now been advised by a planner experienced in Town Green applications that it would be reasonable in this case to say that it served everyone within the Parish of Stroud.

This boundary would include the lady I photographed on Saturday. She had been to see the Shaping the Heart of Stroud exhibition at the Subs, and was eating her lunch before walking back home to Uplands.

As she observed, lots of people moved to Stroud so that they could be within walking distance of the town centre - and this the perfect place for a snack in the early spring sunshine.

Mike Goodenough

Getting the word out

Thanks to Stroud Life for highlighting this story in the paper on Wednesday.

Stella Parkes

A special place

Early, with the sun striking Rodbourgh Fort in a cloudless sky and crocus unfurling at my feet - it's easy to understand why this garden is so special.

Mike Goodenough

Stroud Town Council supports Town Green application

STC councillor Eva Ward reports that last night the council voted unanimously to support our application to register the courtyard garden as a Town Green.

 Mike Goodenough

I know this open space well

I know this open space well as I used to run the British Heart Foundation shop near the top of the High Street.

 My volunteers used to use the courtyard garden when they got a break at the shop as we had no space inside the shop to relax in so they would take their sandwiches, coffee or have a crafty cigarette sitting on the wall of the well. It is a quiet spot and a sun trap.

As well as this customers used to use the neighbouring parking spaces and walk across the courtyard from there carrying their sacks and boxes of donations.

 Stella Parkes