Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
Letter: What is this town centre organisation?
Friday 28th May 2010, 9:27AM BST.
Letter: I would like to fully support the letter from Mr Godfrey in the Star. Who exactly makes up Shrewsbury Town Residents Group?
Who do they represent? This self-appointed small group of people consists of half a dozen wealthy dwellers from the Town Walls area, led by Alan Shrank, who seek to represent the entire populace of Shrewsbury and prevent and confine the facilities of this town to their own preferences.
They are narrow-minded individuals, wanting to influence the majority of people who like and yearn for the town to grow and flourish.
Economically Shrewsbury needs and should be encouraging entertainment into the town.
Mr Shrank and his small number of supporters should be ignored, as they do not represent the thousands of people who want to attend these events.
Terry Anslow
Shrewsbury
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Hear, hear, totally agree 100%!
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Here, here!
Totally agree, they are egotistical, self-important busy bodies who are afraid of change and want things to suit them, not the majority of residents of Shrewsbury.
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They represent themselves.
Is Mr Anlsow suggesting people should only represent themselves if they happen to agree with him?
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[matt] “They represent themselves.”
BINGO!!!
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Your realy not getting this are you…..The problem with these people is that they say that they are representing the people of the town centre but they are not, they are only representing a very small group of people ..
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so…join the TCRA and if as many people like you do join then you’ll be able to represent a wider view!
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Matt, you are again wrong. I know you want everyone to respect everyone elses opinion and that’s fair enough as far as it goes but the whole ethos of the STRCA is to speak on behalf of all town centre residents which, judging by the comments of many correspondents, they quite clearly do not. Don’t take my word for it, look at this direct quote from their website:-
“The STCRA aims to promote and represent the broad interests of all town centre residents, and to contribute to their quality of life”.
So if I was a town centre resident who had an interest in live music played at a satisfactory volume within the town centre, do you think they’d represent my interests? Thought not….
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Then the answer must be to join the TCRA?
Ah. That might mean being exposed to a wider range of opinions which could make someone do something a bit weird. Like change their mind, perhaps?
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Just a group of people who in my view seem to be full of their own self importance. The town , quarry, Town center, is not an old persons retirement development. They must accept a little more than a two day flower show etc or we will end up with a dead town full of a load of coffin dodgers, walking around like a load of zombies from a B movie.If they do not like it perhaps they should move off to some retirement home in mmmm spain will do.
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Of course they have a right to a view – even if I don’t agree with it.
If you are the people they represent instead of whinging about it, like a pile of school kids who haven’t got their own way, then do put your view to them through their forum. If enough do that and they fail to represent the views of “all town residents” then they are in breach of their aims and you can quite rightly say they do not represent your views.
So how about it sign up, get involved and represent the voice of the towns residents.
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If one lives in the convenience of a town environment, they should also expect certain occasional inconveniences that go along with it. The Quarry is a public gathering place (as it was when anyone chose to live near it) and so some noise should be expected, such as fireworks,church bells, dogs barking, people laughing and shouting, concerts, traffic etc. If you want quiet you can live outside of town.
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hear hear
look on face book theres a new group anti the TCRA
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Please take a look at our Facebook group. If you feel that the STCRA do not have the towns best interests at heart, then join and have your say.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123633261001431
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I would just like to say that I have lived in the centre of Shrewsbury for three years now and have never once been consulted by the ‘Shrewsbury Town Residents Club’ as to my views on the town, nor was I even aware that there was such a group. How do they deduce that their views are that of the overall population of Shrewsbury Town? I’ve never once had a leaflet through the door or a knock at the door or even been stopped in the street to be asked my opinion. I would really like to know where I would go in order to put my views forward?? Living in the centre of town comes with the noise of events, the noise of the pubs, traffic and shoppers and people in general, if you don’t like it, move away!!
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Then, Jennifer, why not join it? Or at least send your views to them?
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My first experience of The TCRA was when i ran a pub for a friend in the square ( The Old Plough ).It had two benches outside where my customers used to sit and have a beer or a coffee, until one day i went to collect some glasses and noticed a chap writing on a clipboard. I asked what he was doing and he replied ” You’ll find out soon enough ” and sure enough about a week later i had a letter from the council stating that my outside seating attracted drunks into the Square and should be removed immediatley.
My point is this, the only benches that the town drunks didn’t use were mine because they were policed properly by myself and my staff with non patrons being moved on swiftly. And secondly, the benches haven’t been there for fifteen years but the drunks still are..
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i used to frequent your pub – a lovely place mate, shame you packed up, it was truely grand to sit outside on a hot day with a cold pint like most other town squares in europe does
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The question that I would like to be answered is why the STCRA have so much sway over the council regarding what is, or is not, allowed to happen in the town centre. They seem able to greatly influence decisions on almost any matter they choose (noise levels, tables outside bars, building and renovations etc). Who decides how much influence they should have? Why do they have so much influence given that they are in the minority?
Surely the council have the final word on all matters regarding the town, it seems that they are pandering to this small self-elected group in deference to what the majority of Shrewsbury tax payers want. The Facebook page mentioned above already has three times the members that the STCRA has and it’s growing at a pace, will the council take note or consult this new group before making decisions in the future?
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I do not think it is a case of the group having alot of influence over the council. It is just that STCRA are using the system to there benifit. Tie up the application in so much red tape that the originator of any application either runs out of money or gets fed up of the delays and just gives up. Just remember, anyone can submit an objection letter to the council and it does not cost anything but it costs the originator of the application to have plans changed, re-submitted, because the council charge for these services.
If the council do not follow there own policy and procedures properly, the STCRA could complain to a higher authourity and therefore drag out the whole procedure even longer. I would take a good guess and say someone in the STCRA is a lawyer because the way the group goes about it’s functions is the same way lawyers do to win a case, drag it out under mountains of red tape until someone gives up.
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I think you’re right about them tying applications up in red tape to pressure the applicant into either giving up or giving in.
Would this apply to noise restrictions in the quarry also? Do you think that in the past, just to get an event to take place organisers have reduced sound levels to what the STCRA want?
If this is what they are doing are we fighting a losing battle because there is nothing to stop the STCRA continuing in this way as they are acting within the law?
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I don’t know of anyone who lives in Shrewsbury who has been asked to join the STCRA. So i would really like to know how to join.
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Yes, I’d like to know too. What are the boundaries of Shrewsbury town centre…the loop of the river? Is Abbey Foregate, Copthorne, Kingsland etc included? Would Alan Shrank be democratic enough to let us all join and have our say or would he want to keep the ‘riff raff’ out?
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this may not help your argument, but there is a saying, to be born in shrewsbury is a salopian, to be a proud salopian one must be born within the isthmus of the river severn. i was born in cross hill and am a proud salopian. however i was just as proud living in grange road or any where else within the confines of our ancient borough.
i know nothing about this small group, but the only way to make it bigger and more representative is to join it!
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I think in order to join you must be loaded, here’s a question though:
How old are the members? Is there an angle of age discrimination that can be levelled at them? If the council were to be influenced by a group that is flouting discrimination law then the council would soon drop its servile stance with regards to this group of NIMBY’s…
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Here is how to obtain membership (taken from their website)
3. Membership
Membership shall be open to all persons over the age of 18 who are living in the neighbourhood. Associate membership shall be open to existing members who move to live outside the loop of the river such members to retain the facility to attend any meetings or events, but not eligible to vote or hold office.
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I remembera few years ago hearing that an invitation to a party held each year by the said group was criticized as the surnames of the family holding this particular event were not the same on the invite!
The snobbery and narrowmindedness is archaic but then a lot of people in Shrewsbury want to live in some sort of rose-tinted time capsule.
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Terry Anslow’s letter makes several sweeping and abusive assertions, as do several other letters on this subject.
You (or I)may disagree with Alan Shrank’s views on noise in the Quarry or any other matter. You can write to the Council in support of your views. He does not have any more influence than any other citizen, unless his argument is better and more grounded in the law or in reason.
The so-called “Disenfranchised” group are not disenfranchised at all. Noone has prevented any of them from voting or joining the STCRA, if they live in the town centre.
It is silly and nasty to damn residents of any particular street in the way Mr Anslow does. Any street contains people of widely different views, witness the recent election, when posters for all three major parties appeared on Town Walls.
The STCRA has always been an open and inclusive association and its aim has always been to assist the conservation and enhancement of the town centre. Members raise money for local projects, steward town centre events and go on regular litter picks. It has welcomed many developments in the town and criticised others with a view to improving them. It was the STCRA which recently managed to persuade the Council to allow bands to use the Bandstand in the Quarry again.
It is true that there were complaints at a theatrical performance at Attingham Park about the noise from a concert in the Quarry. So perhaps what is needed is not an increase in the overall decibel level, but rather a better distribution of sound within the Quarry arena.
In the case of the Ashleys Bar application, I understand the problem was that the correct procedure was not followed. There was no problem with the external tables and chairs put out by Morgans, just across the road.
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Although I can understand your view that Alan Shrank is being somewhat demonised here Murray, he does project himself as appointed spokesperson for what appears to be all town centre residents views.
The Ashleys bar application was retrospective and sometimes the planning system can be overly bureaucratic, lengthy and longwinded resulting in lost entrepreneurial opportunities.
The politics of it can sometimes be such that it can be better if the enterprise can be proven to a degree before the nimbys suffocate the potential.
Whether the organisation can be seen as assisting in the conservation and enhancement of the town is debatable.
People including those who are members of this group may disagree with the views of the spokesman but for various reasons keep quiet.
This to a degree gives a greater amount of power to a few. Ditto the negative aspects of our generally older and often motivated by self interests councillors who make decisions for the town.
As you rightly say people should speak up more and support as well as object on planning matters.
The corner that has to be redeveloped since the Shrewsbury explosion is a good example.
Don’t let Dr Shrank and his gang oppose something 21c and innovative for that corner just because it is opposite Morris’s 20c pastiche building.
It is opposite the Severn Theatre too and although sadly nobody could describe the design of that as architecturally good the mistakes regarding that building could be avoided this time round.
Other historic towns have an input from younger people culturally which is clearly so absent from Shrewsbury, to it’s great loss.
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I think all the people above who have written comments suggestting that the town centre group are a waste of time are in fact wasting their own time. i wish they would shut up, because a: it’s getting pretty boring, b: the facebook group won’t achieve nothing, c: who cares anyhow the quarry is best kept as it is and concerts etc should all be moved to the show ground out of the way and away from the immediate vacinity of homes etc.
STOP MOANING AND GROW UP!!!!
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“It is silly and nasty to damn residents of any particular street in the way Mr Anslow does.”
There lies the problem with the STCRA, you suggest the majority of it’s members live in the same street. Hence, there views do not represent the majority of residents within the town centre area.
Their continued silence to the numerous postings speaks volumes.
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Hold on a sec what happens in the Town center etc is a matter for ALL who use it not for the few who have chosen to live in it. I doubt very much this small group holds much sway over the council they may well think they do but lets keep them happy on that point and not shatter any ideas they may have.
AS FOR KEVINS VIEW these people have not been ellected?why show we have them speak for ALL residents clearly they do not, and ALL who make or try to make a living from the town center business’es , and all who use it in the week and at the weekend I am sure will now be heard very loud and clear.
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i just checked theres now more than 1,150 members on the facebook page!!! thats more than the entire population inside the river loop!!
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Eva Land makes some good points and there are frustrations in the planning system. Nevertheless, if Ashleys had gone about the business as Morgan’s did – i.e make the application BEFORE putting chairs, tables and barriers on the pavement, there might not have been any trouble.
I cannot speak for the whole STCRA and neither can Alan Shrank or anyone else without stated permission from the Chairman. The organisation includes people with varying views and some may be motivated purely by self-interest. Those I know are concerned about wider aspects of the town’s welfare and development. Many are involved in voluntary work for the benefit of the town (as I mentioned above).
To my knowledge STCRA is not against business in the town centre – rather the opposite. The association (led in this instance by Alan Shrank, who has a planning brief)has fought a long and arduous battle with Tesco, for the sake of business in the town centre. Residents want local shops (and cafes!), just as visitors and workers do.
I agree with you that the corner site of the explosion opposite the (surely well done) Morris’ building presents an opportunity for imaginative development.
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