| Group | Quick Reference | What is the idea? | Where will it be? | Cost? | Why do you think we need this in Nailsea? | Additional Information | Number of consildated responses | Short Decision | Council Comments |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Microbrewery | Nailsea Community Micro Brewery | Vacant shops in town centre | A package including a kettle, masher, exchanger, pumps, hot liquor tank, and controls will set you back £20,000. If you like, you can also purchase two brite tanks, two fermenters, and one glycol chiller for roughly £15,000, while a yeast keg/brink will add a further £1,000 to your bill. Then, you have to factor in the delivery, lifting, and fitting of the equipment, which is around £3,000, plus hiring a qualified local electrician, which can set you back an additional £1,000. So, in total, microbrewery equipment will cost you £40,000. Plus, costs to renovate an area to serve the beer which is produced - £30,000? Total cost £70,000 start up Ongoing costs to include manager to oversee project and purchase of ingredients. | - Owned/managed by the local community to supply quality handcrafted beer to local outlets and sell onsite - To support local good causes by donating our profits to them. - To use the brewery business to support local people by way of improving career prospects with skill training, work experience and volunteering opportunities. - Bring life back to the town centre with a new concept not seen in UK to my knowledge | 1 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Laundrette and Dry Cleaners | We could really do with a Laundrette and Drycleaners in Nailsea. | Town centre. | ? | Not everyone has a car, to go further to find a Laundrette , large items can’t be washed in a normal washing machine and no dry cleaners in Nailsea now. | 1 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Pop Ups | Pop up bars/restaurants/creativity/theatre/gym (I'd like to do this!), workshops. | The main square, or using the empty shops | Shouldn't be un-reasonable, the businss could pay minimal rent, provide the necessary item's, & create income from selling tickets. | It's looking old, out of date, very tired, we need to inject, something exciting, for all age groups, to enjoy. | 2 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Restaurants | To have good restaurant(s) in Nailsea Nailsea would really benefit I MEAN really benefit from a cinema and some decent restaurants it will brighten up the town and will be something decent for nailsea, we have got nothing no entertainment at all unlike weston and Bristol It will honestly do nailsea great I have lived in nailsea all my life, I am going to be very honest and straight to the point it's is boring here really is Another decent cafe, at the moment only Ivy Kitchen is good. We really need to get people coming into the centre and using the facilities. I think it’s fantastic when the markets are on and eat festival as Nailsea really comes to life and that’s great to see and needs to be seen more often. Something for the evening I don’t go out often due to the children being so young but it would be great to see some lively bars/restaurants to liven up the evening times which would then flow the daytime shoppers into the evening. Or instead of just coming into the centre in the day being able to come back later in the evening for dinner and some drinks. It’s time to get Nailsea on the map where people are wanting to come and see the towns “glow up” with all these new houses available we need to keep these people here and getting Nailsea back to life again. | Central position | Subsidising the rent initially to attract new restauranteurs. | We are very limited with the number and quality of restaurants! This would give people a local option rather than going to Portishead or Clevedon. | 23 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Take over precinct | Regain ownership of Nailsea Precinct Why can't we take over the running of the Precinct from the private companies which seem to chop and change regularly. We need more independence setting retail rents etc. Redo Crown Glass shopping centre and the High Street and encourage new shops to town. Maybe buy it off the current owners to prevent their extortionate rent. | Nailsea Town Centre | The Crown Glass Precinct last sold for £11.5 million in 2020. | Since Avon sold off the precinct to raise cash in 1980 the Town has devolved strategic planning of its town centre to private owners losing direct control. Whilst the council can influence development through planning it loses the opportunity to directly deal with business and costs associated with renting units. Regaining control would allow the council to strategically develop its town centre and plan for a future mix of retail and residential to support the local community. | Low-cost funding available from the public works loan board has enabled many other councils to purchase or repurchase shopping malls and precincts | 5 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis, the Precinct is not owned by the council |
| TOWN CENTRE | Marks & Spencer | Marks & Spencer food store using land outside of surgery - use space for M&S. | M&S = land outside of surgery. | Have absolutely no idea! | M&S = Good food outlet alternative to Waitrose/Tesco, use of space not used for a long time, my Grandma will love it <3. | 3 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | MORE SOCIAL EVENTS IN THE TOWN CENTRE 4. More food festivals or similar events | MORE SOCIAL EVENTS IN THE TOWN CENTRE | 2 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift, although the Council is in favour of such events being organised. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Next | Next | 2 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | LIDL/ALDI | Lidl or Aldi Store Another supermarket is badly needed and am in favour of Aldi or Lidl as I see an awful lot of Nailsea people shopping in Clevedon and Portishead as I do myself. I feel sorry for people with low incomes too. We have no budget supermarket in Nailsea. No Lidl or Aldi. Yet the people relying on Nailsea Food Bank has increased massively. 2) Lidls type store Better presentation of Nailsea to people coming into the town and its car parks (detailed below) | Anywhere in Nailsea | Due to increasingly high food prices we need Lidl or Aldi in Nailsea to save people having to travel into Bristol, Portishead and Clevedon to shop! | 8 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | KFC/McDonalds | A KFC or McDonald's. | The precinct. | Loads I guess. | There is going to be a load of new people joining us in Nailsea and it would bring some extra life. | 1 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Taco Bell | Taco Bell | High Street, opposite 'The Works' and 'Greggs' | Around £250,000 | There aren't many in the area and it will bring attraction and money to the area. | 1 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Shops requested - Examples | A haberdashery \ knitting wool shop, Childrens clothes shop, Mens clothes shop, gift shop, More clothes shops - women + men Some reasonably priced clothes shops especially children's clothes. Fabric and wool would also be welcome in current situations where home made is becoming a popular again - Bakery in High Street - More outdoor cafés - in the middle of Somerset Square Opportunities for start up businesses/under-cover marketplace. 1) White goods shop 2) more clothes selection for men 3) shop for aids for the eldery & the disabled 4) a pharmacy open on Sunday Also more independent shops (preferably) to occupy the many vacant properties in the current town centre which are a disgrace. Surely something can be done to attract new occupants into these. But that's another matter!! 3) DIY store * Encourage Banks back to Nailsea * A national trust style Cafe. Child friendly. | 10 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | New High Street Through Road | My idea for Nailsea is to put a one way road through the top of the precinct . It would enter just after the green on the left hand side and before waitrose. The single lane road would go through the precinct and join the roundabout by the vicarage and out from there. On Each side of the road through the precinct you would have parking each side so you don't have to walk from the existing car parks . This will attract businesses to the precinct because the access to the shops is so much better . This also helps out with the parking around Nailsea. I think about an extra 100 plus parking spaces . As for the children's playground that can be moved down the steps to the lower precinct to the area by Iceland and the post office nice and safe for the children. As for the libery which may be closing I think a Fab place for a nice wine / bestro bar which also would bring more people into the precinct and to use the other shops. This is my outline plan for the new and more accessible and more profitable precinct . thanks Nick wright born and bred in Nailsea. | Nailsea precinct at the top | Don't really know | We need a major improvement in the precinct this will give more accessible parking for the shops in this area and better parking for the people of Nailsea . This will create a better shopping exspearianc and more shops being filled in the precinct. Also will result in more revenue for Nailsea town council. | 1 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. There is a current project underway to pedestianise the area and the precinct is not owned by the council |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Improve Weston College Site | In addition, the area around the opposite end of the Tower House Medical Centre is scruffy and needs a similar treatment, excluding the flower tubs. To demolish college building or convert to useful purpose (indoor Market?) (indoor children/leisure activities) Buy' Weston College site! It is an eyesore. Surely after a building has been left empty and decaying for so many years it can be/should be able to come under a compulsary purchase order. It would be ideal to turn into bedsits/flatlets for youngsters (ie leaving care) and not so young 'singles'. Some communal areas provided in the building to build a 'community' to help strive off lonliness and isolation. Could some effort be spent on finding a use for the Weston College site next to the library. I know the town don't own it but the owner needs to be pushed into finding a use for it or selling it. 1. Develop empty, derelict building behind the Library to link with Tower House Medical Centre and enhance access to medical and diagnostic facilities for a growing town, to include rooms for hire to local medical interest groups. Access from Somerset Square. 4) Tidying up the derelict buildings which used to be part of the old health centre. They give a run down image for anyone arriving in the car parks on Stockway south. In the high Street something needs to be done with college that is derelict at the moment and it lying dormant. It is an eye sore and needs updating. I would like to see the old Health Centre, (opposite the library) which has been left closed up for years now, pulled down and space made available for more car parking, especially when we have so many more houses being built in Nailsea. | Weston College site | Without doubt, the old Health Centre would be a great place to redevelop for this project. I, like the majority of Nailsea residents, am totally ashamed of and depressed by the state of that building. When I bring visitors to Nailsea I always avoid the car park by the Health Centre as it is a dreadful eyesore, with weeds growing out of the walls and roof, and chip board covering the windows. Add to that the site of the old garage, covered in weeds and surrounded by metal fencing right at the entrance to and exit from the car park and it certainly looks as though the council doesn't really care about Nailsea. It has been like this for years and I know the excuse is that Weston College are asking too much money for it, but this has gone on too long. I wrote to NSC about this a few months ago and got no reply. The people of Nailsea deserve better! | 9 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift, and a developer having already purchased the site and is proceeding with a Planning Application. |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Improve Old Petrol Station Site | Do something useful with the fenced off waste land which used to be a petrol station on Stockway South. Given the massive increase in housing and lack of sufficient parking already, extra car parking is the obvious answer. There is a patch of land in front of Domino’s takeaway pizza shop towards the car park that is an eyesore. Could I suggest that at the very least, putting down a weed preventing plastic layer then covering the area with chippings and providing large tubs of flowers. Almost any thing is better than the existing eyesore. To utilise the derelict piece of land adjacent to the Weatherspoons pub, which used to be a garage. The patch of land looks ugly & needs to be built on; suggestion is green area depicting something to do with the Nailsea Glass Works. Development of waste land opposite Domino's Pizza (old petrol station) as green space, Landscape the old Esso garage near Domino's. It is currently an eyesore and let's the town down badly Do something about the 'old' Esso petrol station site! It is a disgrace. If nothing else it should be grassed over and shrubs planted. With regards to the two 'brown sites' 3&4 why hasn't part of the agreement before planning permission was given to the National Builders that they would develop No3 and clean up No4! We are all well aware that National Buildings, by giving large donations to the Tory party, have been given carte blanche to build on lucrative green field sites and open recreational sites. Consequensiely not interested in developing brown sites which blight towns and cities. I think some of the income from the sale of land by Engine Lane should be spent on creating a pleasant garden/seating area on the old Esso site near the Tower House Health Centre. It is a real eyesore and not an inviting scene on approaching the carpark. 5) Stockway south car park should have the entrance restructured so as to allow the old Esso garage site to be put to better use than just the eye sore that it is at the moment . | Stockway South | As above | 13 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. |
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| TOWN CENTRE | Business hub | A business hub for local businesses and especially those with a focus on social enterprises. Shared space and resources including hot desks, meeting spaces and presentation areas (including being able to set up presentations for the public to easily come and view). It would need to be open weekends too if the public were to be encouraged to interact with social enterprises. Empty units in precinct used as serviced/managed office space | In the high street or the pedestrianised shopping centre | The initial cost would be whatever the ground rents are, but with a well thought through business plan and enough suitable occupying organisations paying to be there then this could become a revenue generating idea. | We need to encourage more people to use the town centre. Fewer people should be driving to places such as Bristol for work, and supporting local businesses that have a drive to improve the town and local ares that is only a walk or cycle ride away would help shift the town (ever so slightly) towards active travel. The town is perfectly set up for cycling and walking with all the cut throughs - new housing needs to also have such paths and cycle tracks - so the council should look to reinforce the good aspects (remove the need for cars where possible, keep and improve the green spaces, encourage social and community enterprises | 1 | Yes | The Council voted this item as 'Yes' as a potential use for funds from Capital Receipts. | |
| TOWN CENTRE | Hot Desking Space | Turn a vacant retail unit in the shopping centre into a flexible workspace with hot desks so that people can work in Nailsea. Ideal for those who “work from home” permanently or occasionally and don’t want to or can’t work in their house or want to interact with other people; and the self-employed. This could also include meeting rooms. This will provide an important service to Nailsea residents; bring more working age people into the town centre, increasing vitality and spend in the town centre; and tackle the eyesore of empty retail units. Filling the empty shops with co working spaces for self employed / creatives / employees who are working from home but don’t have the space or need to get out of the house every now and then. The Crown Glass Place area is dying and needs an imaginative thinking to revitalise it - not only as a shopping centre but to to make it a central focus point for the town. A couple of ideas are:- 1. Open up a couple of the shops in Colliers Walk as office spaces. Over the past couple of years we have seen home working take off but it can mean that the workers very lonely and they are not getting social interaction in the same way that the would with work colleagues in an office. If a work space was established workers could once again meet together work other workers; they wouldn't have to travel into large work centres like Bristol, they could walk or cycle into work so reducing pollution and they could also use the local shops. In Colliers Walk they could also link with coffee shops like Greens, so supporting local businesses | Vacant retail unit in town centre, of which there are several | If Praxis provide a unit on a flexible lease at a below market rent as a contribution to the town, and users pay a small fee then it may be cost neutral i.e. no net cost. The Town Council may need to offer a guarantee to fund any shortfall which could cost a few thousand pounds per year. | Many people are currently working from home in unsuitable circumstances. They are also lacking social interaction. It will help these people. There are also no workspaces available for those who want to set up a new business and can’t afford a long-term lease. Overall this will help to increase employment in Nailsea, bring greater vitality to the town centre, and bring life to vacant retail units. | 4 | Yes | The Council voted this item as 'Yes' as a potential use for funds from Capital Receipts. | |
| TOWN CENTRE | Street Art/Artwork | The town centre of Nailsea could be improved to attract more visitors and shoppers to support local and independent businesses, as well as creating a space for all of the community of all ages to come together. This could be done by making some aesthetic changes to the town centre that makes the grey buildings more attractive such as street art or more sculpture. More artwork around the town - more tree sculptures, street art and things to create a bit of interest Much more public art art and sculpture - something to make you stop and look and think | Town Centre | Not much - a few thousand per project (perhaps they could be done by local people and schools?) | Nailsea is an expensive place to live and there are limited opportunities for younger families or for people on lower incomes. Having lived here for over 10 years i find that friendliness varies and while my immediate neighbours are lovely, I do not feel part of a town or community. I tend to use the town very functionally for shopping or takeaway. I go elsewhere for a more pleasant experience such as Clevedon, Wells or Clifton. I plan to leave Nailsea in the medium term because at the moment it offers me good links to Bristol and London for work, but I don't feel tied to the town. If there were better town centre design and more evident community events that are easy to find out about and join, someone in my position might be more inclined to stay here. This would increase the diversity of ages in the town as well. It will brighten the place up - the tree sculpture in town is a really lovely point of interest and hopefully this will give people more pride in the town I’ve recently moved into the area. It's a wonderful community and I feel so welcomed but visually it's very unexciting… | 4 | Yes | The Council voted this item as 'Yes' as a potential use for funds from Capital Receipts. | |
| TOWN CENTRE | Map | I would like to see a large map of Nailsea, in the town centre. Ideally an artist created map. I was involved with creating a map of Nailsea in a project collaborating with the Blue room. This map is a community map featuring artwork of key sites that was done by people in Nailsea who came to workshops in the Blue room. it would be still available to enlarge and put up somewhere in the town. | On a wall in the town eg by where new look used to be or near Tesco. | Around £200 for a weatherproof image £250 for the rights to use the image for this purpose. | It would be great for the community of Nailsea, to have a map where they could celebrate local landmarks and feel proud to see them, and identify with the locations, | 1 | Yes | The Council voted this item as 'Yes' as a potential use for funds from Capital Receipts. | |
| TOWN CENTRE | Precinct Improvements | Facelift of the precinct to bring it up to more modern standards Better shops and eateries - we need to attract people to the area who aren’t 70+ and move away from charity shops. Town regeneration! Due to the crass amount of building you have allowed we need more Doctors and NHS Dentists, schools and a rebuilt shopping Centre, rather than the 1970's monstrosity we currently have, filled with charity shops and empty units. Improve the town centre - update the play area. Entice more young families into town. Make it easier for more small businesses and independent shops to use the empty shop spaces. The farmers market is already a great way of getting more of the community into the town centre. Build on this. We need a asda the size of clevedon for better value food and clothes just enough for all six and ages school uniform a must.Are supermarkets are to expensive for young families. Shops to be filled by reducing the rent with a scheme and after 2 years the rent is then more but not over the top so every business has 2 years to get it of the ground with a good budget. Subsidise rent for the local shops, or buy some of the commercial buildings and rent them out as a community concern Updating the concrete town centre would make a huge difference to the aesthetics of Nailsea. It's unattractive and compared to our neighbouring towns looks dated. Improve the appearance of the prescient so it draws more people in eg. Fairy lights such as csn be found in Wapping Wharf and new facades on the units. More covered outdoor seating areas to being the square alive and a cafe culture. Updates to the shopping centre to soften all the concrete and make it more inviting. Many people visit the supermarkets but do not spend time shopping in the town. By making it more attractive this could change. Eg planting of trees in the square, more hanging baskets Improve the dated Nailsea town Centre with a social focus i.e. Restaurants / entertainment Independent shops - Encourage small local traders with low rents and support them to establish their businesses. More independent shops of interest to people in their 30s/40s/50s. Restaurants, bars (with a licence until later than 11pm), high street clothes shops, modern independent homeware, jewellers/gift shops, things to nip into and buy that are luxuries rather than needs. Somewhere for teenagers to go. Modernise the precinct We need less empty shops - but not more charity shops/beauty shops - the town looks increasingly shabby and downmarket. Enclose the existing shopping area to create a mall type shopping area, so people can shop whatever the weather, then business's would invest in a more diverse services to include the High Street to include into one precinct, including traddic 'free' of Beautification of Nailsea High Street & Crown Glass precinct. Its so ugly, 70's, and concrete, anything would be an improvement I think Nailsea is being left behind compared to Portishead and Clevedon. Clevedon attracts day visitors due to its favourable geography and architecture. Portishead has a high street that has a busy road running through it yet still manages to be more lively and inviting with more flowers and independent shops/restaurants. Nailsea suffers from the stranglehold of Crown Glass Plaza and the countless empty shop fronts and derelict buildings - see the old college building by the library. I would like to see a reimagining of this space with more green areas and less concrete. Some initiative to get the shops filled The shopping Centre. It's a dismal place, isn't it. Short of demolishing & rebuilding there's not a quick fix for the greyness from concrete, & rain. However, some ideas: - Cover over between the shops. This can't be a lightweight thing, or it would blow away! But there could be some central structures to support a proper roof, allowing in light. Benefit: to attract more shoppers; to attract more shops; to facilitate other attractive uses. - Do something to attract more interesting and maybe upmarket shops. There are too many charity shops, cheap card shops, etc. Clothing shops have gone. Now I don't know what can be done as I'm not the expert. But how can we do this? - Drastically improve the attractiveness and appearance of the shopping area. For example, tell the law firm opposite the P.O. to take down its gaudy window posters. Take in boxes & ads from the footpath (card shops, TV shop). - When there's an empty unit, I suggest covering the window with a tidy picture. The Mall, Cribbs always does this. - Add entertainment for shoppers. Not just on "market" days. Have a band Saturdays on a stage. Some seats in summer. Market to concert organisers. - Market to restaurants. Nice ones. Could have piazza style seating outsiude in summer but all year if covered. I know the town council doesn't run evertything here but we need to make it happen how we want. Otherwise it will wither. There are some really excellent features: It's a nice clean place. Big congrats to the great people keeping it clean. There are lovely planters with flowers. The voluntees do a super job. The car parks are really good. Make certain N.S. don't ever impose charges. Footpaths Nailsea has an excellent network. Also the new trail is excellent thank you. How about a Nailsea footpath map somewhere? Where I'm not sure. On website? to download, or an app. 1. Whatever you do - don't change the layout of the Town Centre in any way - it is perfect as it is. 3. Concentrate on attracting businesses to occupy the empty units Updating the town centre shop frontage, similar to what was done in broadmead. 2. Empty shops/offices could be considered for young start-up companies, providing employment potential, work experience opportunities and contributing to bringing people into the centre of town. Supporting the development of the shopping area in Nailsea. Colliers Walk has empty properties and the building opposite the library ( the previous medical centre) should be knocked down and rebuilt for development. It would be useful for a support group like the Brandon Trust who offer support to many who have a disability. Their base at Scotch Horn has been taken from them owing to costs and yet we now hear that there are some extra funds available on Nailsea. The upper floor(s) could be dwellings for some of the Brandon Trust users as well as private purchasers. More greenery - less concrete. There is too much concrete paving in the town centre which has been down for years. A revamp of the town centre to make it more attractive to visitors eg sorting the derelict/unused buildings, floral decorations, street stalls. Perhaps there could be some thought given to a theme which would bring people in, as in the case of Street for its shoe making history, Bakewell for its tarts etc. Nailsea for its glass making?! Also some facilities for young people - a survey aimed at them, perhaps through Nailsea School, might bring in some ideas there. 5. Grants for small businesses to open in the Centre | Nailsea Crown Plaza Crown Glass Place Asda needs to be built with a car park where there is land going free.The esso garage land opposite the old policstation needs to be a car park for the nurses instead of parking in valley gardens. Shops, bars and restaurants somewhere in the precinct or on high street. In the empty units by Burchills it would be nice to have an independent butcher, a dried goods shop, bakery, deli. All in close proximity so locals can do their weekly food shop easily. | Depends on scope of what can be funded. A minimum / quick fix would be cladding or rendering (or the very very least painting!) all the brown concrete, new flooring throughout, replacing the seating, planting some areas of greenery. | With the growing population of younger generations within Nailsea there needs to be more options for food/clothing/small businesses Because the town centre is dying. Because we are a rundown village, completely lacking in infrastructure. There are more and more families moving to Nailsea. Make it somewhere that people want to visit and utilise for shopping at leisure. The play area is a great focal point in town but could do with an update and more play equipment We need a child friendly run pub or macdonalds .Nailsea needs to step up a gear we were in front of portishead about 12 years ago now we are behind even behind clevedon. Be honest with yourself what has nailsea got to offer .the shopping precinct is a disgrace Some money spent on Nailsea town centre square to make it more modern looking and less 1960’s/70’s. Painting and cladding parts to bring it up to date. It is such a lovely area, with so much to offer, but is hugely outdated and I feel this devalues the area. The town centre bit of Nailsea is incredibly oppressive, dated and ugly. It is not a welcoming and nice environment to shop in or spend time in at all. It is no wonder everything seems to have closed in the last few years. The best thing about it is the fact there is a Costa (which seems to be thriving - indicating there is a market for more well known chains and nicer places) and the fact that the small play area was refurbished (although could have been better in my opinion and made a little bigger). The whole area needs refurbishing, banishing the 70's/80's concrete and creating a brighter, more uplifting area with more greenery, social spaces and places to sit and enjoy. The library is another eye sore which desperately needs some external aesthetic improvements as this is an integral part of this area. It would be so great to have a town centre which really is a 'heart of the town' that we can be proud of and a place people want to go. If you did this, it would increase footfall, both from Nailsea residents and even drawing in people from neighbouring towns and villages. More footfall = more spend, therefore boosting the local economy, so more shops / cafes etc would be able to open and be successful and therefore drawing more and more people in again - it all has a knock on effect but it starts with the town centre being a nice place! There needs to be a reason to shop local rather than the supermarket giants like Tesco and that reason should be convenience, hence all being close together. Bars and restaurants because more and more families and couples are moving to nailsea, it’s not just the elderly anymore. I myself have lots of friends in nailsea in their 30s and 40s and we find ourselves going to Long Ashton to go to a pub with a decent atmosphere and that doesn’t close early. Teenagers hang around in the park intimidating people because they are bored. Something has to be done to encourage retailers into our high street - it is dire currently. It seems as though the council should be able to invest some of this money in order to create ongoing interest payments that could be put towards rate reductions on retail/service industry units. We don't have a single decent restaurant locally - it is quite mind boggling how badly Nailsea is served compared with Clevedon and Portishead. It would also be good to improve the precinct - I know it's listed but it is somehow really unattractive and grey - more green! And all the closed shops - is there a way to get a community of local makers or sellers who usually work from home to come and form a cooperative? This helps with social cohesion, introduces people to their products, and fills all those empty shop fronts. And for quality clothing, uniforms and shoes. Also, the square could do with an overhaul on its aethetic appearance tbc. There are a lot of charity shops in the town and I have read that this is because unit rental is high and smaller businesses are unable to sustain the costs. Some form of subsidy or assistance more often and for longer to help new business set up in the town would be beneficial. This would provide a more vibrant and attractive town centre that more people would visit. The shopping precinct is used for markets on a regular basis, which does create a community feel and boosts visitors to shops. This space could be used more regularly for a programme of community events. While the farmers markets are good for many, the formula is the same across many towns and to offer something different to complement this would be welcomed. This could be supported by better bus links from the railway station to the town centre. I use the station regularly and have never seen a bus there in 10 years. We need more independence from the private companies, more vibrancy in the town centre, more independent shops, more welcoming to residents and shoppers from out of the area to generate more income - take a leaf from Portishead a vibrant high street, independent shops and much more shopper and resident friendly. Nailsea town centre badly needs more tlc it looks dreadful and the High Street could do with a bit of sprucing up. Not a swimming pool please, we have Backwell but again NSC could do more upgrading in that respect. Because the shopping centre is dismal. We could call it Dismaland, but that was somewhere else, and I am lucky to have been there a few years back. Even that was more fun though. I don't think anyone sees Nailsea town centre as a "destination". It is somewherte to get some shopping done and then leave. People do go to other places to browse, linger, eat, repeat, enjoy. Mostly. Yes folks do sit at the cafes, and a couple of pubs. But these folks don't stroll/stay/buy much, I'd expect. Nailsea needs to fill the many empty shops. Can some funding be used to subsidise both rent and Council Tax for say 2 years supporting both new and present shops. A healthy retail town centre will ensure town centre survival and job creation We feel that Crown Glass Shopping Centre is outdated, concrete and not very welcoming. As there are no natural products incorporated in this centre, it appears cold and impersonal and not a place where residents or shoppers currently wish to linger. Whilst the area may function adequately, there is no connection between nature and the built environment. If redesigned or re-modelled properly then many benefits would accrue - economic, environmental and social including public health benefits. We suggest approaching urban design or architectural schools to see if they could investigate a cosmetic redesign or remodel for this area. If done imaginatively this could bring much needed investment and visitor benefits to Nailsea centre. With Nailsea's variety of housing stock and potential increases of the same, together with the attractive countryside surrounding Nailsea , it deserves a much more attractive town centre. Whilst nearby Clevedon and Portishead (and obviously Bristol) have managed to achieve this successfully and thereby increased their visitor and trade investment, this is a rare opportunity for Nailsea and its residents to improve their town centre exponentially. The precinct needs to be revitalised to attract more shops, and therefore shoppers, to halt its decline. whether they could work with the landlords to keep the rents at a sensible level for independent (non-charity) shops or even acquire the site itsellf Council tax break for new independent shops in the precinct. Unfortunately the current problems in NAILSEA, are not the matters I presume the responsibility of the Town Council, such as the following; The condition of the paving stones above the Car Park, and the footpath fronting the Church. A number of residents are aged and use mobility aids, and frames, to visit the Shopping Centre And Health Centre. Addition ly the derelict site opposite the health centre, needs sorting out. I am aware that currently the number of Empty properties is worrying. together with the fact that we only have ONE bank left and ONE travel agency left. 1. Crown Glass shopping centre precinct looks very tired, stuck in 1970s concrete hell, and whilst much of it will be the freeholders responsibility I wonder whether the paved areas could be renewed, and the layout redesigned to look more interesting, perhaps with some planting and more pleasant seating areas. The paving needs changing not just cleaning, although if they were cleaned properly (not by the bloke on his own with a tiny little garden patio cleaner) it might help if there’s no budget to renew the paving slabs and redesign the area. | 59 | No | The Council voted this item as 'No'. It will not be looked into further. This item was declined due to it being outside of the Council's gift. Refer to Praxis |
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| TOWN CENTRE | No | ||||||||
| TOWN CENTRE | No | ||||||||
| TOWN CENTRE | Covered Market | The background to my idea is that I often go to Clevedon and Portishead when I want to do some 'special' shopping because there is an excellent range of independent shops especially in Hill Road Clevedon with a great range of quality goods on sale. I cannot think that people from Clevedon or Portishead would have any particular reason to visit Nailsea to shop (except perhaps at Waitrose). We need to bring more people into the town but at the moment I don't see the town as at all inviting in both the quality and variety of its shops or the attractiveness of its surroundings. I don't see Nailsea competing with the other two towns. It is something different that is needed to attract visitors to Nailsea from a wider area. My idea is to have a permanent, high quality covered market. Often on holiday around the country I have visited such places that are attractive, original and provide a range of goods - clothes, crafts, food, etc. St Nicholas market in Bristol is such a market - though with its own particular ethos. From our monthly markets and our Christmas markets it is obvious that we have a host of wonderful crafts people who might be interested in such a project and I am sure visits to some such markets would provide plenty of information, advice and support in the setting up. Choosing the type and range of stalls would be very important as this market should not be seen to compete with our local businesses. The hope would be that current, local businesses would gain through new customers coming from outside Nailsea. | This is the difficult part! There is no obvious place in the centre of town, that would be large enough to hold such a permanent market UNLESS the library does move away to a new venue. The current library building would not be impossible to turn into a market hall. I think such a market should be quite separate from the Town Centre management which probably makes it more difficult to find a suitable and central location. | I have no idea! | We need something unique that will attract visitors from further afield. This would then surely benefit all the other businesses in Nailsea. | 1 | Yes | The Council voted this item as 'Yes' as a potential use for funds from Capital Receipts. | |
| TOWN CENTRE | Craft Store/Collective | We need a proper craft store/ a place where local crafters could possibly sell their handcrafted goods. Maybe even a monthly, or bi-monthly event where local crafters can sell their goods (I understand we have the farmers market etc but these are already full of great people selling their goods. People, much like myself, who are a little newer to selling our handcrafted goods also deserve a place to sell. I think having a proper craft shop with supplies and shelves for local sellers would be amazing and would really help lots of people in our community who need to find friends with similar interests etc. I’m not sure if it’s been sold to Tyntesfield surgery but if not,or not all of it, do something with the old Weston College site at the end of the precinct. It could be converted into a large space for an indoor craft market for all year round, given the number of self employed artisans that live locally. Is it possible to start afternoon classes like we used to have when I first moved here. 2. Shops could be set up to encourage shared workshop use for artists and crafts people. This could also be a walk in area for local people to learn about what is going on and even buy any products These are just the outlines of a couple of ideas but an investment from the town Council would regenerate the town centre before all the shops close | There's loads of empty shops in the high street which could be perfect for this. Or, as mentioned, a market type idea would be good for the precinct. Old Weston College site | I have no idea how much a craft shop would cost, but having local crafters renting out space could generate some income for running the shop No idea of what building works would be necessary to make an acceptable place to rent stall space. | Nailsea lacks any creative places. Theres no where to buy local crafters work (like there is in Clevedon at the Craft Centre there) and as a young person living in Nailsea, and trying to find a house in Nailsea to move into with my partner, we would like to see some more crafty aspects be put in place. It would creat a place of interest in the centre of Nailsea and make the whole shopping experience in Nailsea far more interesting, potentially attracting more people to shop in the town. Additionally it would fill up empty shops with other retailers feeling there is a large active customer base in the town. Revamping the old Weston College would also remove the unsightly dilapidated building that welcomes you as you enter the precinct from Tyntesfield surgery car park or as you walk through the precinct. It’s not very appealing. | 4 | Maybe | The Council voted this item as 'Maybe'. There is potential for this item to be taken on as a project, but more research will need to be done on this. |
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