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Your views: How it looks to a Halifax man in exile
Reader Nick Akerman sent in his opinion of the plans for the town...
I am Halifax born and bred!
However, I have spent the last 7 years down south with only 4 trips a year back 'home'.
My homepage is even Halifax Courier online so as not to miss a trick.
The plans for HX are fantastic and much overdue, although plans come and go with little progress.
The idea for The Piece Hall to be the central hub is good. HX town centre has no identity and no 'centre'. It seems to sprawl endlessly from pound shop to pound shop with no collective area.
The Piece Hall is a majestic showpiece and must be used to the maximum. A meeting area for shoppers and sports fans and must, therefore be built around.
Shops (including higher end retail outlets) should feed out East and North to Harveys and Sainsburys.
The pub culture (which HX has become, to much embarrassment on my behalf) should be moved to allow the west of Town to become the Entertainment Zone (Bars, Cinemas, Bowling, Snooker) ultimately leading to the Shay Stadium.
As a result of The Piece Hall being a centre, the plans should consider putting a glass roof over the Piece Hall and creating a magnificent covered piazza for street sellers, cafes, boutiques without losing any of the building's character.
In addition, because I could ramble endlessly, do away with Winding Road from The Square Chapel / Hughes Corporation junction to Sainsburys and increase more retail space and parking between Woolshops and The Parish Church to bring the church more into the town.
HX has taken a big blow over the last 15 or so years but still remains due to the HX community and the plans need to focus on getting people mingling again in browsing and breathing more high end retail life into the area.
Many thanks for bearing with me.
Nick Akerman
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
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Wind direction: South west
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