Bedford Borough Council held a second Town Centre Exhibition in May 2002 to give the public an opportunity to see the latest proposals to redevelop and improve the Town Centre. The exhibition provided an opportunity for visitors to express their views and ideas which will contribute to the continuing process of achieving the vision.
Approaching 6,000 people came to the exhibition in the Harpur Suite over the seven days that the proposals were on display. People were shown the progress that the Council has made since the last exhibition, in October 2001. These included bringing the Charter Market back into the Town Centre, breathing new life into the Town Centre by improving the calendar of events & developing Bedford's reputation as a 'Festival Town', refurbishing the lighting along the Embankment and the commencement of discussions with developers interested in improving the Bus Station area.
The four main proposals for the Town Centre were Heritage, Riverside, Retailing & Leisure and the High Street. 36 individual projects emerged including redeveloping the Bus Station and Castle Lane areas to include a mix of shopping, leisure and homes, putting a pedestrian footbridge over the river at Riverside Square to bring St Mary's Gardens into the Town Centre, a mini marina, a tourism initiative recognising Bedford's wartime past and broadening the town's nightlife to include family restaurants & cultural activities for all ages.
Key Issues:
The feedback from people visiting the exhibition was generally very positive with over 85% saying that overall it was good or very good. The key areas highlighted by visitors to the exhibition were the Bus Station, Castle Lane area and moving the Tourist Information Centre.
