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Editorial |
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The Churchgate issue seems in great danger of going nowhere very fast. Having looked again at all the options, the Society is convinced that the renovation of the market on its existing site is an urgent necessity. So much so, that it cannot wait for protracted negotiations on the eventual future of Churchgate itself. Instead, we believe that the future of the market must be uncoupled from whatever is to happen to Churchgate. And on present form, it looks far from clear whether the Churchgate redevelopment or refurbishment options are sufficiently attractive to justify investment any time soon on a stand-alone basis . Meanwhile, a broadly sensible Planning Brief has been drawn up by the Council to which the Society has commented constructively. It is hoped that this will be adopted without further delay to provide the necessary guidance to the urgent renovation of the market, the enhancement of the adjoining car parks, and any eventually redevelopment of Churchgate itself. But any further delay in securing the long-term future of the market would do the town a great disservice. At the same time the Museum Service has
come under review; the last time was 1990. The proposal is currently that
there should be one central museum in the District. Both Hitchin and It seems now that the Council has lost track of the major idea upon which all Museums are founded: they reflect their homes. Hitchin Museum reflects how Hitchin is, as Letchworth reflects several aspects of that town. Hitchin contains many traces of its former trades and industries: many of its streets still have street furniture by Gatward, Innes or Kings. This Society has protested about the poor execution of the Sun Street and Bucklersbury enhancement scheme, and how one such drain was crudely concreted in. Almost a year on, Sun Street still has street furniture painted in the wrong colours, with the masking tape still in place, while recent visitors commented how appalled they were by the street clutter at the end of Sun Street. All this has been brought to the attention of the Council, all the way to the Chief Executive, but nothing has been done. The drain cover and the bollards are far from crucial to the life of the town, but every little loss diminishes us all: nibbled away like this, Hitchin is in danger of becoming no different to anywhere else. In much the same way, putting Hitchin's cultural history elsewhere robs Hitchin of it. The case for Letchworth is a little different, as the intervention of the Heritage Foundation in the 1970s caused a schism: the Council's Museum reflects Letchworth before 1903, and the Archaeology of North Hertfordshire, whilst the Heritage Foundation's own Museum portrays the development of the World's First Garden City: this confuses everyone. Rectifying this nonsense would do everyone a favour. Whilst other discussions aim to reduce dependence upon the motorcar in favour of public transport, the idea of a new, centralised museum will just lead to more travel for many museum visitors. In the absence of high quality, affordable public transport, this inevitably means still more dependence on the private car. |
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