Letter: A Shrewsbury centre resident writes …
Wednesday 26th May 2010, 10:36AM BST.
Letter: I would like it known that the so-called Shrewsbury Town Residents’ Group represent only a very small minority of those of us who live within the Severn loop.
This group appears to challenge anything that has fun and entertainment connected to it. Most of them are non-Salopians choosing to migrate and retire to our county town for the cheap housing compared to the south where most of them appear to have come from.
All town centres are the hub and heart of any township. The Quarry, for years before this group arrived and for many years after they will have gone will be the heart of the town.
It entertains young and old alike, from Flower Shows to concerts and then to its country park status. The town centre is the hub of rail, bus, and road networks.
Alan Shrank states that the Quarry is not the place for such concerts; of course not, it’s his back yard.
The real losers are us, the taxpayers who cannot afford to travel to venues outside the town to see concerts – and then there are the restaurants, bars, transport services, hotels and even council parks, all of which cash in on such events.
R Godfrey
Shrewsbury
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I remember Ronnie Lane’s Travelling Show in the Quarry back in the 70′s…Dr.Shrank would need tranquilisers if he saw that.
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R. Godfrey, are you suggesting that the residents in the affected area should not be able to voice their concerns about matters that impact on them?
The attacks on Dr Shrank seem a little shrill. Almost a vendeta against him and his group.
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Of course Dr. Shrank et al have a right to voice their opinion but it appears that there is an issue of double standards / a we don’t like it – so you can’t have it attitude.
For example the Flower Show which we can assume is welcomed by Dr.Shank has firework displays on each night of the event. Some of these (category 4) fireworks have a 120db rating which is more than enough to cause permanent hearing damage. However the Quarry concerts are limited to 65db (consider normal conversation levels are 60db).
Also when the previous attempts to review the volume restrictions in the Quarry were thrown out due to cost before they had even started Dr.Sharnk was “delighted”.
Which in my opinion proves that he is not even prepared to have a discussion on the matter and that his mind is firmly made up.
This hardly seems to fit in with the policies of the STCRA:
“We strongly advocate the following … greater promotion of Shrewsbury as a cultural and historic centre”
“better use of ‘natural’ facilities such as the Quarry Park, whilst protecting the rural corridor of the river and its banks.”
“catering for a wider spectrum of residents and visitors; “
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Dont be silly Mitt, at the time of the fireworks all the STRC have taken out there earing aids and are dosed up on Horlicks
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@ Matt
No R Godfrey is not suggesting that the residents in the affected area should not voice their concerns, he is merely pointing out that the self-appointed TCRA do not speak for the majority of people who live in the town centre. And in turn, he is expressing his concerns regarding the TCRA who, it must be said, do appear to have their own vendetta on many of the council tax paying residents of Shrewsbury who want to be able to enjoy going into the town day or night and having a good time. I’m sorry if that may involve some noise but, you moved into a town centre so what did you expect?
Anyway, don’t take my word for it, look at the evidence:
Installation of 8 flower planters outside the Armoury OBJECTION
Increasing decibel levels in the Quarry to facilitate the proper enjoyment of live music OBJECTION
And (laughably), increasing the amount of tables from four to five outside a new Shrewsbury cafe bar OBJECTION
As has been said many times, the town centre is for everyone. Contrary to what they may like to think, Shrank and the TCRA do not own the town, nor do they have any power to decide what goes on other than writing countless letters of objection to while away the endless days and nights of a happy (and hopefully noise-less) retirement. Sure they have a right to voice their concerns but common sense must prevail and, thankfully, some of their frankly ridiculous letters of objection on anything and everything are quite rightly being ignored by the Council.
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Bearing in mind the apparent power and influence that it appears to have, it would be interesting to know precisely how many residents belong to the STCRA. Also how demographically representative of the town’s population are these people?
Whilst I can appreciate some of the STCRA’s concerns about what happens within the loop, this is not their sole preserve as we all have an interest in the town centre’s variety of amenities and activities.
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Although I have been away from Shrewsbury for 10 years now, I spent 25 years of my youth growing up in the town. I remember fairs, shows, concerts, raft races and many other noisy public days enjoying the center of town. I’d hate to think that the vibrancy, life and soul of my home town is being stripped away by a group of pedantic, belligerents.
The center of any town is it’s soul, and it needs to be nurtured to thrive. Invariably it is the young the give it it’s energy. Let them play.
If you want life and energy, you live in the center of town. Quiet, then you live in the suburbs. Solitude, you should move to the country side. If your living in the wrong area don’t complain that you didn’t get what you want!
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The problem is these huge events happen several times a year, The Flower show which is probably Dr. Shanks’s cup of tea and the concerts. there are 365 days in a year, a maximum of 5 days with 2 concerts and the flower show is really gonna hurt the guy isn’t it. How does he get away with his protest, is it just becuase hes a doctor the makes him better than the rest of us shrewsbury folk altogether? I think not! The majority will speak, be heard and win through. Shrewsbury is our town, not Dr. Alan Shank’s!
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