Bridge is open

Have to say it looks great!

Was in town last weekend and it was wonderful to see is so packed. Long may it continue. I've got mates in Sheffield, Rotherham and Huddersfield that all somewhat regularly travel to Barnsley now to visit the market and the rest of it.

Think we'll all look back in a few years and say it was definitely money well spent. Completely rejuvenated the whole town centre hasn't it. Only thing now is that Alhambra and the other side of Cheapside looks absolutely crap! Something needs to be done there

 

I'm out in town on the 27th so will hopefully be sober enough to appreciate it! Town (tarn) is definitely changing for the better.

 

Agreed. Now that they own the Alhambra the council should do some kind of a deal with Boots to get them into there with a modern store and then flatten everything from timpsons to Lloyds bank and create the town centre park area that they suggested a while back. Or flatten the former bhs building for a smaller park area and get the front of boots to Lloyds clad in something to compliment the glassworks. Should be easy enough as I'm sure the front of boots is exactly the same as what the metropolitan centre was and they managed to clad that or whatever they did. Also need to get rid of the canopy at the front of boots, it casts a shadow across cheapside.

 

Flatten from Pinnochio to Timpson, build with the same materials as the rest of the Glassworks with a roof like the Trinity in Leeds. All of the disused upper levels of all the buildings in town need turning into living areas like they have done with the old post office, Raleys solicitors, building across from Estabulo etc.. to get more people in 24/7. We've buildings being up for let for 10 years as offices, get them converted into apartments.

 

Wouldn't be against that to be honest. Definitely need to convert as many of the offices as possible into apartments. Get people living in the centre and it will mean more trade.

On a random note have I completely made this up or when they designed the library didn't they tell us it would always be lit up at night from inside to creat a beacon of light in the town square? I'm sure that's why it got called library at the lightbox. Only wondering because I realised tonight that I've never ever seen the lights on at night

 

It had the poet quote lit up for a while, have they switched it off?

 

I must have the onset of dementia because I'm doubting myself now one hour after I was there but yeah I think it's turned off now

 

Barnsley holds you in it's fierce grip or summat it said.

 

In that case I'm not losing my marbles. That was definitely not lit up. A shame because that would have been the icing on the cake for the square

 

Don't know why they've switched it off, same with the one in the digital campus next to courthouse, looks good coming in on the train

 

I didn't know there was one there either. It's the same with the market gate carpark. I really hope that they get them all switched on at the same time soon. Makes much more of a difference than people realise.

 

Boots don't own it now though. Unfortunately, pulling things darn costs lots of money, even if it's worth nowt still there.

 

Have they still not switched the light wall on, worrying - they ditched Mandela gardens after spending over a million on it, unfortunately BMBC have history of neglecting things.

 

Yeah sadly it's still not on. Hope to Christ they get it sorted. I remember sitting in Mandela gardens at lunch quite a lot when they did it up. These days I wouldn't go near it

 

Had a cascading LED lit water wall at one point, now it's a dump site.

Don't know why they don't look after things.

 

Yeah went past the other day and it was all unlit. Annoying.

 

Now if I put my professional hat on, I see 2 new street lights not working (which I bet still get signed off and paid for at the end).

Also, I noted last week when I was out, the bus station canopy that protrudes out has several spotlights not working - just the one lit up. Which when you see it, sticks out like a sore thumb at night and is visible to the whole square. Again, it was the main design feature of the station and has been neglected.

 

Another annoying unlit area, the trees around the waterfall outside the town hall, all had lights wrapped around them when it was first done, they've switched those off.

 

A classic case of capital investment - but zero budget to maintain. Sadly is the case for most projects in the UK.