1First of all, let me thank you all for coming to this public meeting, to discuss the future of our town.
2Our first speaker is Shona Ferguson, from Barford town council.
3Shone.
4Thank you.
5First I'll briefly give you some background information,
6then I'll be asking you for your comments on developments in the town.
7Well, as you don't need me to tell you, Barford has changed a great deal in the last 50 years.
8These are some of the main changes.
9Fifty years ago, buses linked virtually every part of the town and the neighbouring towns and villages.
10Most people used them frequently,
11but not now because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers.
12So parts of the town are no longer served by buses.
13Even replacing old uncomfortable buses with smart new ones has had little impact on passenger numbers.
14It's sometimes said that bus fares are too high,
15but in relation to average incomes, fares are not much higher than they were 50 years ago.
16Changes in the road network are affecting the town.
17The centre was recently closed to traffic on a trial basis, making it much safer for pedestrians.
18The impact of this is being measured.
19The new cycle paths separating bikes from cars in most main roads,
20are being used far more than was expected reducing traffic and improving air quality.
21And although the council's attempts to have a bypass constructed have failed,
22we haven't given up hope of persuading the government to change its mind.
23Shopping in the town centre has changed over the years.
24Many of us can remember when the town was crowded with people going shopping.
25Numbers have been falling for several years,
26despite efforts to attract shoppers, for instance by opening new car parks.
27Some people combine shopping with visits to the town's restaurants and cafés.
28Most shops are small independent stores, which is good,
29but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns,
30as there are so few well-known chain stores here.
31Turning now to medical facilities,
32the town is served by family doctors in several medical practices -
33fewer than 50 years ago, but each catering for far more patients.
34Our hospital closed 15 years ago,
35which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable.
36On the other hand, there are more dentists than there used to be.
37Employment patterns have changed, along with almost everything else.
38The number of schools and colleges has increased making that the main employment sector.
39Services, such as website design and accountancy, have grown in importance,
40and surprisingly, perhaps, manufacturing hasn't seen the decline that has affected it in other parts of the country.
41Now I'll very quickly outline current plans for some of the town's facilities,
42before asking for your comments.
43As you'll know if you regularly use the car park at the railway station, it's usually full.
44The railway company applied for permission to replace it with a multi-storey car park,
45but that was refused.
46Instead, the company has bought some adjoining land, and this will be used to increase the number of parking spaces.
47The Grand, the old cinema in the high street will close at the end of the year,
48and reopen on a different site.
49You've probably seen the building under construction.
50The plan is to have three screens with fewer seats, rather than just the one large auditorium in the old cinema.
51I expect many of you shop in the indoor market.
52It's become more and more shabby-looking,
53and because of fears about safety, it was threatened with demolition.
54The good news is that it will close for six weeks to be made safe and redecorated,
55and the improved building will open in July.
56Lots of people use the library, including school and college students who go there to study.
57The council has managed to secure funding to keep the library open later into the evening, twice a week.
58We would like to enlarge the building in the not-too-distant future,
59but this is by no means definite.
60There's no limit on access to the nature reserve on the edge of town,
61and this will continue to be the case.
62What will change, though, is that the council will no longer be in charge of the area.
63Instead it will become the responsibility of a national body
64that administers most nature reserves in the country.
65OK, now...