Big changes are needed after Portas review, Nelson's business community is told (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

I can think of some 'radical changes' that would help - mostly involving bulldozers and wrecking balls!

I'll have a pint of what she is on! (or a pipe full! ) "she described the town as ‘beautiful’" where was she looking? the best way to see Nelson is to glance over one's shoulder as you fly past on the M65
One visit to the Arndale centre would put the fear of God into any retail investor.
If you dont believe me go and have a gander yourself.
The town centre is, and has been for a long long time a gigantic sink hole for public cash.
I will platt the proverbial s*** e if any improvement comes from this.

If the business rates were reduced and the rentals for the empty shops also, maybe people with an idea for a novel or original outlet might be prepared to risk having a bash at conducting business. Without the incentive, those shops will remain boarded up and closed.

The word beautiful is not one that usually comes first into my mind when describing Nelson, although the centre and street scene has been improved markedly over recent years and some parts now look very attractive indeed. Pendle Council deserve the highest praise for their efforts and tenacity.

Am I alone in thinking that the ‘high-ups’ encouraging ordinary folks to set-up shop in independent retailing is part of a cruel joke in which the lower orders are seen as people to be taken for a ride? If so, this would not be the first time that our lords and masters have sat on high telling those of us at the bottom what we should be doing and what a ‘jolly-good idea’ they have ready for us, while they produce glossy reports, quaff their Chardonnay and attend various forums.

I've thought about this and have tried to imagine what I would do if I had £25,000 in savings and from the list below had to rank the items in order of suitability of maintaining the value of the capital and producing decent income:

Lending the money to the government by purchasing Premium Bonds;

Opening a shop in Nelson;

Placing the money on deposit with a financial institution;

Putting the money in a cocoa tin under my bed;

Buying a structured ‘guaranteed’ investment bond form a bank or building society;

Buying a FTSE-Stock Index Fund;

Buying shares in a self-managed investment trust.

I have to say that ‘Opening a shop in Nelson would be at the bottom of my list.

If Mary Portas and the Leader of Pendle Council open their own shops in Nelson then I would re-consider the ordering. The fact that the high-ups are not falling over each other to go into independent retailing in Nelson tells you all you need to know.

Council need to invest in buying back the Arndale and then they can control rents to a reasonable level, reduce shop rates for a few years and then maybe, just maybe retailers will see an opportunity to build up a business in town ..... if not, will the last to close down please turn off the lights and leave the key to the town under the mat!!!

Hmm, more of the same here, as I have said before, Nelson will not get back on its feet until you have the Colne to Skipton Rail Link reopened, providing people of North and West Yorkshire as well as people of Greater Manchester with better Access to East Lancashire, I was up at the Beer fest in Colne last week and spoke to so many people that came from all over the Country, and they all said the same thing, rail transport is a big issue here, and a lot of them said they would come to Pendle on a regular bases if it had better rail links and more modern and clean trains.

But as you are all aware LCC Planning Officers think they know best and still want the A56 Bypass, take take up some of the missing rail link, which only 55% of the population will have access to.

Your rail project will give every one the chance to travel to and from the City Regions of Manchester, Leeds and even Liverpool, as it once was. with trains possibly every 30min.

What more Can I say, all I know is that LCC seems to think that everyone in East Lancashire wants the A56 Bypass and not the Railway.

Here we are with your journey times in the 1950's, which we don't even have anymore, which is the main reason why people no longer come to Pendle from the outside: talk about being cut of by LCC.

Connections

Another problem with getting around is connection times and this is particularly difficult where services are hourly or less. As an example, until we get a modern railway with the reopening of the Burnley–Colne–Sk
ipton missing rail link, the East Lancashire stations of Colne, Nelson, Brierfield, Burnley Central and Burnley Barracks have awful connections.

(i)to travel east to Leeds and Bradford, you have to travel west to Accrington. As your train approaches Accrington station you see the Leeds train pulling out and you have to wait 58 minutes for the next train. Coming back, slightly better, you have 53 minutes to wait;

(ii)to travel south to Manchester, there is a 30 minute wait at Blackburn going but what is especially galling is coming back your train from Manchester is held at the points outside Blackburn and you see the Colne train trundle across. When you get into Blackburn station the Colne train has just set off. Journey time home from Manchester (just 30 miles away) 2½ hours for a journey that in the 1960’s took just 1 hour;

(iii)to travel south to London, a 58 minute wait at Preston for the connection;

(iv)to travel north to Glasgow a 41 minute to 53 minute wait at Preston for the connection; and

(v)to travel north to Edinburgh, a 58 minute wait at Preston for the connection.

Progress, East Lancashire style, then and now:

In 1950 best journey time Colne to Liverpool was 1¾ hours, now it’s 2¾ hours to go 58 miles, an hour longer.

In 1950 best journey time Colne to Manchester was 1¼ hours, now it’s 2 hours to go 32 miles, 45 minutes longer (and 2½ hours back).

In 1950 best journey time Colne to Leeds was 1¼ hours, now it’s 2¾ hours to go just 32 miles; 1½ hours longer.

It almost feels like someone “up there” doesn’t like those of us who use the Colne branch. Surely they’re not trying to run it down so that they could close it?

My question for the committee in this regard is, how can a member of the rail travelling public have any influence on timetabling? Who do we contact about it? A simple 2 minute alteration in the timetable would solve many of these problems outlined above and I’m sure this will also be the case around the country.

August 2012

Another silly LR headline! Nelson's "business community" were told nothing new on Thursday.

Tony Greaves

sim1846 wrote:
Hmm, more of the same here, as I have said before, Nelson will not get back on its feet until you have the Colne to Skipton Rail Link reopened, providing people of North and West Yorkshire as well as people of Greater Manchester with better Access to East Lancashire, I was up at the Beer fest in Colne last week and spoke to so many people that came from all over the Country, and they all said the same thing, rail transport is a big issue here, and a lot of them said they would come to Pendle on a regular bases if it had better rail links and more modern and clean trains.

But as you are all aware LCC Planning Officers think they know best and still want the A56 Bypass, take take up some of the missing rail link, which only 55% of the population will have access to.

Your rail project will give every one the chance to travel to and from the City Regions of Manchester, Leeds and even Liverpool, as it once was. with trains possibly every 30min.

What more Can I say, all I know is that LCC seems to think that everyone in East Lancashire wants the A56 Bypass and not the Railway.

everybody I ask say the same as me its not financially viable. and if the train did go through to Skipton even with your train spotting mentality must know people will just go straight through nelson&colne to Skipton then bypass them both on the way back all it will do is boost the economy in Yorkshire to the detrement of nelson/colne,so please shut up,dont you think we have enough white elephants in nelson!!!