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Business group unimpressed with regeneration plans

5:31pm Tuesday 1st July 2008

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BUSINESS people have criticised draft plans to regenerate Braintree's bus park.

Braintree Council would like to see new shops, homes, a revamped bus station, new community centre and underground parking on the site between Fairfield Road and Victoria Street.

It also plans to move from its own offices at Causeway House in Bocking End into a new headquarters at the town centre site.

But Braintree Town Centre Strategy Group was sceptical when they discussed the ideas for the first time.

Ben Joscelyne described the council's vision as "quite ridiculous," while Brenda Baker, manager of George Yard Shopping Centre, said: "I think it's a long way from what will happen, I don't think we should assume it's going to end up looking the way it is on the plan. There are so many problems with it that Ben has already started to list."

The group has invited council leader Graham Butland to their next meeting to discuss the plans more fully.

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Dave, Braintree says...
1:52am Wed 2 Jul 08

Why do we need new council offices? The current ones are under utilised with even Greenfields Housing Association being housed in the same building. What we need is more affordable housing and more community amenities not more needless council office space. Council offices should not be the centre of attraction, a more user friendly town layout is needed to attract businesses back into the town rather than forcing them to find out of town premises. This town is about the people who live here not the council who desire to live in gradeur.

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Lessfair, Braintree says...
4:34pm Fri 4 Jul 08

I also wonder why they need new council offices?? - they already have 5* premises, what more do they want??

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