The once-thriving UK town due huge £114million transformation – ‘it’s a dump’ | UK | News

It is the largest town in Warwickshire, the birthplace of the famous novelist George Eliot, and is set to undergo an exciting new regeneration project. Home to 88,813 people, Nuneaton is a small community hub with great potential; but residents say that hasn’t quite happened yet. When you get out of the car behind the city hall, the area looks green, clean and inviting.

Just 38 minutes’ drive from Birmingham city center and 23 minutes from Coventry, the hotel has an excellent location. In recent years the town has become a popular spot for commuters, even those working in London, which is just 55 minutes away by train. The front of the town hall is majestic, bold and traditional. It is adorned with Union Jack flags and stands proudly at the entrance to the town.

The day we visit is a cool, gray day, with light rain but still a decent number of people wandering around the main street. Locals say they are desperate to see some regeneration in the town, which they believe has lost its once thriving high street and reputation. Nuneaton is experiencing a huge improvement pipeline with investment in the town due to improve four key areas: leisure and job opportunities, education and skills, housing development and unlocking rail, highway and cycling infrastructure.

Disgruntled citizens say they won’t believe things will change until they see it with their own eyes. Local people go in and out of coffeehouses to take shelter from the rain.

Ronnie Brown, 80, walking along an empty stretch of the main street, said: “This is a dump, we just think it’s a dump. I’ve lived here since I was born. The whole time I’ve been here I’ve seen things get worse.”

“All the shops are closing, the main street is a dump. If I didn’t like where I lived I’d move because I think it’s a dump. I don’t have anything good to say about it.”

“We were here when we were young and all the shops were open. People were very nice then too, now they’re not so nice here.”

“We come to the high street, have a coffee and pop into a few shops but Bedworth is better.”

Ronnie isn’t the only one who says Nuneaton needs some improvement.

HGV driver Phil Machiewicz, 69, said: “I’m all for the changes but you can’t see the changes yet. There are hopes it will be better when it’s completed but we don’t know yet.”

“The markets seem to have shrunk and you can’t come into the city and spend a few hours here like you used to, which is a shame. “I would like to see more stores opening, such as affordable clothing stores.

“One of the town’s key features is its location, with good connections to Birmingham, Coventry and London.”

A major regeneration project is planned for the town, aiming to transform Nuneaton into a prosperous town centre. Warwickshire County Council says one of the main aims of the project is to create high-quality living space with accessible town center housing.

He also hopes to see more jobs in the city centre, which will be supported by excellent transport links. It is aimed to include national, independent and expert retailers in shopping.

Finally, it aims to make the town a destination for people to visit, enhancing the heritage and cultural opportunities of the region.

Pat Charlesworth, 79, says: “I hope the money invested here is well spent. Generally it’s kept pretty clean, which is a good thing, and I’ve never had any problems here, which is a plus. But over time it’s gotten worse here.”

“When I first moved here, it was a thriving town with all the shops. I can’t imagine anyone would think this place is any good now. I live in hope that it will get better.

“It’s a sad little town now. It used to be great, and when I had visitors it was great to show them around.”

Standing in the main square, Alan Heritage, 58, said: “It’s never been spectacular but it would be great to see work starting to change that.

“For all construction work the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better and it will be worth it depending on the results.

“We have seen developments start, a few things have been demolished, work continues in the town.

“We are seeing a lot of good branded stores disappearing but not many stores replacing them.

From what they heard from residents walking along its quaint streets who had little or no love for their town, it didn’t seem so bad.

He definitely gave the impression that his future was bright. While some residents think the start of renovations have left the town in disarray, a shovel stuck in the ground is a hopeful sign of things to come.

Transforming Nuneaton regeneration program budget set at £114m, reports say BBC.

Councilor Nicky King, Nuneaton and Bedworth Council, said: “We currently have 170 independent shops in Nuneaton and only 22 are vacant but there are people building some of these now.

“We need properties to be of a certain standard, especially with such a major regeneration project. The number of visitors to the town has increased in the last year and a half and more independents have settled during this period.

“You can visually see the regeneration now encouraging more people to come to the city.

“We have two shopping centers here and for a small market town that’s absolutely fine. One has 80% occupancy, the other has 45 stores and only three are empty.

“It will be more vibrant as a town. We need the night-time economy and I know we may not be able to get that back in the same way due to changes in society, but we aim to do much more of that.”

“Our market is one that people know and love. Investors are loyal and always want to come back. There are an average of 25 investors in the markets on Wednesday and an average of 30 investors on Saturday.”

Councilor Steve Hey said: “What we’re trying to do is also get people living in the city centre. The building that used to be Debenhams is now being converted into flats.”

“We have a lot of independent shops here and that’s the future of this town. “A lot of business owners see the opportunity in this and are buying space now to get started.

“We’re only 55 minutes from London so there’s a lot of people living here and working in the city. You can’t get past London in that time and we have trains going there every hour so it’s becoming a bit of a commuter town.

“We’ve also reduced car parking prices, it’s now £1 for the first hour and £2 for the day, which is great for those who work here.”

As an often overlooked town, Nuneaton has a lot of potential that is yet to be realised. Standing at a crossroads between disappointment and hope for an overdue renewal, residents remain unconvinced of the town.