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New bars planned in town revamp
Wednesday 6th May 2009, 11:45AM BST.
Artist's impression of how The Round will look
Four new bars or restaurants could open up as part of £1 billion plans to give Telford a 21st century town centre.
Hark Apollo, Anglo-American owners of Telford Shopping Centre, hope to make Central Square the focus of buzzing nightlife.
At present, apart from The Thomas Botfield pub, the area is largely taken up by estate agents, insurance companies and financial firms, and remains quiet at night.
Hark Apollo, the group behind The Round project, is now seeking planning permission to change the use of four office units at Hazeldine House into bars or restaurants.
Rob Cossey, Hark director, said: “Telford & Wrekin Council, the public, businesses, everyone, has said for a long time that what Telford is missing is a vibrant night-time economy.
“There just isn’t enough to do here in the evening.
“Last year, we announced there is going to be a new restaurant, bar and nightclub in Telford where the old Athena nightclub used to be, which will open this summer.
“Now we are taking steps to extend the future offering of restaurants and bars in Telford.
“The Round has always focused on creating a strong mixed-use offering for Telford in order to secure the future economic development for the town.
“These moves will turn Central Square into a livelier night-time location for the residents of Telford.”
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With one breath Hark Apollo claim that they intend “to make Central Square the focus of buzzing nightlife”
And with the next breath they introduce 24 hour parking charges to the telford centre!
Is it just me or can anyone else see the perversity in all this?
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Bring on the big-name chain restaurants that have no interest in the provenance or quality of their ingredients. Bland food for a bland setting. I hope to be proved wrong, but I won’t hold my breath.
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Telford town centre certainly needs a night life and Central Square is the ideal location. I just hope that the new bars and restauarnts are original and locally run rather than huge chains like Serotonin says. Parking will be an issue unless they drop the 24 hour parking charges. Lets’s just hope there’s no constant trouble like there was in the Athena days, although a mixed area with more than once place to venture will hopefully stop trouble from starting.
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Well I’d like to hope that not too many of the customers at these new bars would choose to drive home what with drink-driving being illegal and all.
As far as I know there are very few free car parks in Birmingham and they don’t seem to have too many complaints that charges are detrimental to nightlife.
It will be great to see a bit of life in Telford after that awful shopping centre closes down for the night though.
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Grey I can tell you dont visit that area very often. On a Friday or Saturday night it is nigh on impossible to park outside the Thomas Botfield. And comparisons with Birmingham are hardly relevant – public transport in Telford is appalling and the Telford Centre is hardly what could be called pedestrian friendly.
It is also a little presumptious of you to assume that everyone who visits these establishments are drinking alcohol – we are alos talking about restaurants.
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If anything I spend to much time there and I usually get there by public transport, its not that bad.
You say that Telford isn’t pedestrian friendly and I agree, I dont think there should be any cars in Central Square at all. Squares should be places for people and generally I don’t think that a lack of parking is central Telford’s biggest problem.
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