Contrary to a certain “doomsday sayer”, I’ve been busy over the last months discussing  positive ideas for Bewdley with local businesses and residents. I actually put this together a while ago but it’s now being debated by the movers and shakers of the town, so it would be great to hear what people think. I’m sure some won’t like everything here, but constructed criticism would be more useful than a slanging match, if you don’t mind. Please read on… Neville Farmer, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Wyre Forest.

A FEW IDEAS

 

  1. Establish a Wyre Forest Chartermark for local farmers, manufacturers and producers – this is for the whole area – It would be wonderful if it were possible to open a weekly market on Load Street, as the street was built for but at the very least, it makes sense for local food retailers to support local farmers and food producers. It makes a good selling point for visitors to know their food has been produced to high standards within the area. The same goes for products such as Bewdley beer, Totally Patched quilts, artworks, clay pipes, jewellery, stained glass and carpentry from the museum. Unifying Bewdley through this kind of trade can be managed by the new trading partnership that seems likely to rise from the recent battle over Severn Trent (see elsewhere on this blog).
  2. Establish a Friends of Bewdley discount card – This is one for the new trading association but a Bewdley loyalty card could offer discounts in retailers, email notification of events and special benefits to customers of the SVR, Safari Park, Golf Course, Ramada and Forestry Commission. If also sold at those tourist attractions, it could increase the number of visitors continuing into Bewdley itself. There should also be a residents’ card that gives discounts to events etc and encourages locals to shop locally.
  3. Create a Bewdley Residents’ version of the discount card – with discounts to exhibitions and shows, restaurants, health clubs, sports clubs and possibly even some shop products. It’s a great way of encouraging loyalty and unifies the community. This could be funded by sponsorship from one of the major businesses who could advertise on the card.  
  4. Begin a Beautiful Bewdley competition to persuade landlords to improve shopfronts and houses – too many properties on Bewdley’s main streets look neglected. The regeneration fund and prizes for effort could reduce that problem. Cleaning the bridge might be a good idea, too!
  5. Establish SVR Shuttle line – I know I’ve gone one about this on this blog and elsewhere but this benefits all of Wyre Forest. It cuts traffic between Bewdley, Stourport and Kidderminster, improves the viability of the Stourport Road industrial Zone, increases the SVR’s business and adds to the possibility of Kidderminster getting an hourly London service on Chiltern Rail as was originally planned. Interestingly, Chiltern has already approached SVR about running this service and SVR is keen to operate it itself.
  6. Open an SVR halt at the back of the Safari Park – Although the Safari Park is built for cars, safari buses could take pedestrian passengers from the Severn Valley Railway on trips through the park. This might decrease Bewdley Road traffic and increase business in Kidderminster and Bewdley. It would be a matter for the Safari Park and SVR to fund the project but WFDC planning dept should look favourably at the idea.
  7. Seek better parking and transport for Bewdley Station – a shuttle service between Bewdley, Foley Park and Kidderminster on the SVR is only possible if there is adequate and additional parking at Bewdley Station. This is a tough one to overcome but it needs addressing urgently.
  8. Seek arts funding for a theatre company such as Pentabus to come to Bewdley’s new St George’s hall – Bewdley should have the same cultural cache as Ludlow and the presence of a high quality fringe theatre company  here will add to the possibilities for cultural events. It would be a good idea for the Festival Committee to run the cultural programme in the centre but a resident theatre company would add real cache.
  9. Dredge the river to allow navigation from  Stourport – I realise this will attract a negative reaction from some anglers and newcomers on Severnside South, but it need not do so. Bewdley was built as a river port. Its quayside is ideal as the ultimate destination for river travellers, attracting business for the town, the railway, the forest and the safari park. It would add a real energy to the town on regatta weekend, especially. This is an expensive project as it means dredging a number of different points between Bewdley and Stourport. Clearly, it requires a lot of negotiation. The change in river flow will change the type of fish swimming here but for the better, adding variety and quality. For the residents of Severnside South and North, I believe the increased activity, while adding a small amount of disruption, returns the waterfront to the active part of the town it was built to be. 
  10. Move the fire station to Bridge House – the redevelopment of St George’s Hall and the library/medical centre complex offers the opportunity to put the fire station somewhere more effective and accessible than Dog Lane car park. Plans are in place to move it 100 yards but that still leaves emergency vehicles trapped by the Welch Gate bottleneck. Bridge house, across the river, is in disrepair and is partly for sale. With emergency traffic lights fitted either side of the bridge, placing the fire station there would give faster access to all parts of the town and Wribbenhall and would rid Bewdley’s waterfront of a hideous seventies eyesore.
  11. Ensure the new community/library/medical centre adds to the town’s aesthetic – the district council has asked that the new complex be a high quality modern design rather than a cheap mock-Georgian copy. This is commendable but runs risks. The architects have told me that budgetary short-cuts would make really good quality modern construction unfeasible. Unless the modernity makes a truly lasting positive statement, we could end up with a building little better and much bigger than the ones it replaces. The public need to watch this space very closely. Further, the single lane access from Load Street through to Dog Lane needs maintaining and it takes a small but vital amount of pressure off Welch Gate.
  12. Create a Wyre Forest Film Location Service – Screen West Midlands is supposed to look after all filming and TV production needs across six counties, including Worcestershire. They have quite substantial funding to assist productions in the region and Wyre Forest offers fantastic location (Georgian streets, river, forest, steam trains, stately homes, churches etc.). This could attract useful income and extra tourism. Screen WM is not going to favour Wyre Forest over anywhere else in the region unless we make it easier for them by funding a brochure, create pages related to film production on the local websites and build a register of property owners interested in being paid to use their property as a location. The area could also provide a location manager on hand who can help fix things (paid freelance when work comes in or given a small retainer). Filming is disruptive and there may be resistance to this idea, but a positive attitude towards it could really boost the area and bring income to those who are disrupted. One successful TV show or film in a location transforms tourist activity and the shoot itself means business for caterers, hotels, bars etc. A successful film can mean substantial long-term tourism business.