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 Councillors Mike Greene and Ben Rawlings in the new-look Inverness Street Market |
‘Street a market force once more’
Academic who slammed state of trading area praises £1.5m revamp after new look is unveiled
IT might look a bit like a fairground, but the new-look Inverness Street has met with the cautious approval of one of its most vociferous critics – polymath Jonathan Miller.
The author and academic, who lives in nearby Gloucester Crescent, launched a blistering attack on the problems blighting the Camden Town street three years ago, slamming the “feral groups of youths, public urination and drug dealing” he claimed were destroying the area.
But as the Town Hall unveiled the revamped street on Thursday, following a £1.5 million make-over courtesy of the Government’s Liveability fund, Mr Miller was more measured in his comments.
Improvements to the street, which houses a long-running market, include new street lighting, granite paving stones, new trees and signage and the installation of CCTV cameras.
Mr Miller said: “It looks better than it used to do although I am not certain that I like the sort of fairground look they’ve got with the new stalls.
“On the whole, it feels safer and quieter – the drug dealers and gangs seem to have moved on.
“Thank God they didn’t put up that terrible mural, though. That brick wall is a great piece of old modernism. And the ridiculous Inverness Street sign should never have gone up in the first place. It makes it look like a concentration camp.”
The street’s market traders have given mixed reactions to the improvements.
New trader Paul Sutherland, who runs organic coffee stall Uprising, praised the “lovely atmosphere” and feeling of space. Dean Cole, who runs the fruit stall and has worked at the market for around 30 years, said: “The changes really smarten up the market and it’s good to see the new traders who have opened up stalls.”
Marc Hall, another third-generation stall holder, said the improvements had “brightened up the market and helped get rid of anti-social behaviour”.
But another established stall-holder who did not want to be named, said the council “should have left it as it was”.
He added: “It’s rubbish. If it pours with rain, we all get soaked. It’s difficult to get the stalls up and down, and trade hasn’t recovered since the works began.”
Meanwhile, there were complaints about the position of the pitches from owners of the shops and bars that line Inverness Street, who say their businesses are now hidden from view.
Mick Marshall, from Out on the Floor records, said: “We have actually seen no benefit in terms of business. It is a more pleasant street to be on, but you can’t see the shops with the new design.”
Martin Kravetz, who has run Megacity Comics for the past 20 years, said: “We are paying the lion’s share of the rates but we are treated as second-class citizens – sort of hidden away with not a lot of thought given. I think the idea was good but it could have been done a lot better.”
A Town Hall spokeswoman said: “We consulted with the shop owners and market traders around the design and layout of the market and other improvements.
“The improvements were designed to help make the street a safer, greener, and cleaner environment for all those who work, visit and live in the area.
“We would be happy to meet with the shop owners to discuss any suggestions they have.” |
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