What kind of town do you want? We have our ideas and we want to share them with you. You are very welcome to contribute to this as this website is seen by planners at Dudley Council. It is probably the best way to get your views across. To start it all off, this is our opinion:

I would like to see the town centre full of quality shops, bars and restaurants, as probably most people would, but I would like this to be achieved organically, rather than through "redevelopment". New shops should complement existing ones to create the right retailing "mix". To some extent it's already happening, with four new businesses in Market Street alone.

Stourbridge has a wealth of old buildings and they should be retained at all costs wherever possible to retain the town's unique charm. Stourbridge will never compete with the larger shopping centres that abound in this area, and nor would we want it to. Some local authorities seem to be obsessed with redevelopment, knocking down the old buildings, a move that we nearly always regret within a few years. The reason Stourbridge has more appeal than some other local towns is because it has experienced LESS redevelopment in the past. However in fairness to Dudley MBC, I think the construction of apartments in the Lower High Street area is a step in the right direction. Additionally, they have taken the opinions of most residents and retailers to heart in rejecting the Tesco plan.

I would like to see the ring road reduced to two lanes, and the extra space given over to parking and more greenery. Its a complete waste of time in its present form, because all surrounding roads soon slow you down anyway. I suspect it also discourages people from visiting the town centre.

I would like to see more people walking into town rather than driving, although I recognise this is not always possible. It's a fact that at major shopping centres people actually walk quite a long way once they have parked their car. Cycling should be encouraged with more secure parking for bikes. I know pedestrianisation is a contentious issue, but I would like to see more of it. Nearly all major town centres are now pedestrianised, why should Stourbridge be any different? Some retailers object, but it is a classic marketing rule that priority number one is the customer, with the logistics of getting products into the store coming second to this.

Stourbridge is an affluent area but consumers are spending elsewhere. Support your town centre, don't moan about there not being enough quality shops, the best way to bring quality businesses into Stourbridge is to show them the demand is there. It's down to you and me!

www.stourbridge.com, 8th Nov 2001

What's your view?

I agree that Stourbridge Town Centre has lost some it's charm and individuality from a lowering of standards right across the range of shops we now see. I am not sure if it feasible to reduce the parking costs but it certainly deters me when I have to pay to park in a dirty multi storey. At the very least can't we clean up these car parks and make the stairways at least brighter and CLEANER? It is an appalling first impression for drivers into Stourbridge. This would be a first step to encouraging more people to shop at Stourbridge, then with ample and pleasant parking facilities I think padestrianising the High Street would be another good step.

Stourbridge has so much potential - and it is not all bad news, the visiting markets are fabulous, I'm sure with the improvements that can be made - and are being made, we will be able to encourage more good quality traders into the area. Just one small plea from me - isn't it about time we had a quality bar for the over 30's? Not all of us at this great age want to stay in and watch Corrie, I would like a place to eat, have a drink with the emphasis on Sophistication - not Alcopops! Susan Moore rec'd 22 April 04
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Stourbridge has many excellent schools - but let's look further. Any town which is trying to build a cultural reputation needs......A UNIVERSITY!! At least we could start with a Higher Education College that features on UCCA application information. Stourbridge College is a good base - but the emphasis could be placed on post A-Level. Why not look into how Wolverhampton Polytechnic was given University status. Maybe there are lessons to be learned? Dudley college is at least trying..... If we don't keep our young people in Stourbridge, then we might as well write our future off. NB. As a teacher I can confirm that all the young people I know who have gone to University don't actually come back. Should we ask the question - WHY? What keeps a University Student happy? Certainly not charity shops and building societies. Let's look forwards. Let's try to keep our 'cream' in the town instead of banishing them to cities because we have nothing to offer. Carol Midwood - rec'd 29 Apr 02
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As a Stourbridge Councillor on Dudley MBC and Chairman of the Stourbridge Area Committee, I was convinced, as a number of people have said, that we should not close the door on any proposals for the regeneration of the town. I was equally determined that any plans should be primarily in the best interests of the future of Stourbridge rather than the developer or a Central Government driven "Traffic Management Scheme". Throughout the public consultation period I avoided making too much comment because this could have been prejudicial to a fair and balanced public debate. However, I am now more free to express a view and feel that through your web site I can give your readers my personal views, so here goes! I do not share the view that Tesco's would rip the heart out of the town. There are many examples of towns where they have positively benefited from the arrival of a large food retailer. However the success of such schemes depends entirely on how the store is integrated into the town and accessibility issues that arise from greater traffic volumes. That is why I have consistently opposed the downgrading of the ring road without measures to take the high volume of through traffic away from the town. It is also why I asked the Development Control Committee to reject their application, it was simply the wrong plan for Stourbridge. In this respect, I would be a strong advocate of a scheme along the lines suggested by Sean Harris on the Stourbridge.com website for a bypass. I would go further and suggest that the western and southern sections of the current ring road could then be made two way with the centre lane being used for pedestrian refuges at pelican crossings and right turn filters where appropriate allowing all access points into the town to be re-opened. This would then give the town back to the surrounding communities in Wollaston and Swinford thereby removing the impression of Stourbridge being on a massive island. I have no doubt that many of your readers will criticise my opening comments with regard to Tesco but can I suggest they consider the following. Tesco are now probably the largest land owner in the town. They were prepared to spend something like £9.5 million improving the infrastructure along lines recommended by Council officers quite apart from the cost of building the store. If I had the choice, I would prefer a company like B&Q or a similar speciality retailer to come along with a similar scheme because that type of business is more likely to compliment the towns existing trade rather than fundamentally change it. If such a proposal did come forward, would those who reject Tesco out of hand take a different view or are they simply living in the hope that if we wait long enough things will get better on their own. My view is they won't and that would be a tragedy. Let me say as a parting comment, that I believe everyone who lives in and around Stourbridge wants to see its future secured. The means by which this is achieved will always be subject to much heated debate, but as long as we keep talking and remain committed to the future of the town and never, never close the door before listening to proposals from interested parties, we can succeed. To this end, I recently proposed and gained approval for the setting up of a working party under the banner of the Stourbridge Community Plan to discuss all proposals with anyone who has a contribution to make towards securing the future of our town. I hope everyone can support us in this aim.
Les Jones Councillor, Pedmore and Stourbridge East Chairman,
Stourbridge Area Committee, Dudley MBC - received 16 Jan 2002

Over the last few years ,I, as a local person have noticed with regret the 'fall off' of the quality of the Town Centre. The shops are now very much lower in standard and of a poor quality. We do not want any more charity shops or banks /Building Societies. The town has to compete with what is offered in the surrounding area, otherwise it will die , just as Dudley Town Centre has. It is no good expecting people to walk to the Centre, car transportation is now the expected norm, anyway the bus service in the area has also deteriorated to the extent that it is no longer reliable.What has to be concentrated on are the main routes into the town. The main road into the town from the Kingswinford area is now becoming a laugh. Many motorists will go the other way to avoid the congestion. The hold ups are now constant throughout the day. This is caused by the numerous traffic lights along the road, especially at the junction leading to the Corbutt hospital. The lights need much better synchronisation to give priority to the main roads into the town.Because of the length of time taken to travel into the town by these main roads whether by car or public transport, this deters people from shopping in Stourbridge, as they turn around and head in the opposite direction, finding a better selection of shops in so doing.If any alteration is considered in the road network then attention to this must be a first priority. Also 'safe' parking areas must list on the next priority with planning.If you are to pay for parking then you expect that the cars left in the nominated areas are under some kind of supervision. Comparing this with the Merry Hill site were parking is free ,there is still security patrols as a deterrent. If I can come back to the shops. If no large stores are encouraged back into the town then this will again discourage people fom doing their shopping. Just look at Kidderminster which for a small town has numerous large stores and is within easy driving distance of the Stourbridge area. May I suggest that the council thinks wisely about these important decisions ,as if they get it wrong there will be no turning back. Alan Dutton, received 1 Jan 2001

Only living within a mile of the town centre, I am a regular visitor to the town centre. I find the diversity of shops very refreshing after the bland, identity free nature of large shopping malls. The biggest downside of the town centre is it's narrow high street, obviously a product of a quieter era. In my opinion Stourbridge cries out for pedestrianisation. I feel this would make the whole shopping experience both safer and more pleasant. The pavements are just too narrow for young mothers with prams and pushchairs to negotiate and some drivers seem to feel that it is OK to travel as fast down the high street as they do on the ring road!! Once again congratulations on a job well done, long may it continue.
Martin Rebetje, received 28th December 2001

Short term, we would like to see the upper and lower High Street pedestrianised for good - with a weekly or bi-weekly open air market - disabled drivers should still be considered within the planning. All deliveries should have to be made before a certain time in the week or during the evenings and not on Saturdays - the High Street should be for the people of the town and hopefully outside visitors and shoppers, not the drivers. The entire High Street should be block paved evenly, with seating arranged for shoppers use. When new businesses open they should be encouraged to sponsor floral displays within the town, along with current businesses. This could extend to Xmas decorations . Parking should be free on market days - the stall rents should cover lost revenue for the Council. Charity shops and banks/building societies should be kept to a minimum. Whilst empty buildings should not be allowed to remain empty long term, every opportunity should be made to attract new and diverse businesses. Utopia ??? Maybe !! but we'll keep on dreaming.

From P & J Watkins, received 26 Nov 01

Much has been recently bantered about what Stourbridge should be like and how that could be acheived. Some good and feasible ideas have been suggested but unfortunately the downside of all this is, where does the money come from for funding? I'm sure that if Dudley Council could spend £20 million on a new town 'image' for Stourbridge how much would other towns under the Dudley banner cost to bring them into an environment which would attract new businesses, jobs and more importantly fresh life into those towns. There would be no doubt that if Dudley did have that kind of money to spend, priorities like improving schools, hospitals, police services, housing etc would take precedence - and rightly so. Like it or not, the Tesco did offer a way forward towards a new Stourbridge. Whether it was a Stourbridge that was wanted, that's another matter. With any radical plan there has to be many questions asked and concerns as to what it will do to the town and its community and in fairness Dudley Council have given both sides the opportunity to voice their opinions. The council are the representatives of the community and therefore should have that community's interests at heart, hence the reason for the rejection of the Tesco project. Tesco will of course challenge the democratic decision and no doubt eventually it will go to a Government department; possibly 'headed' by an unelected civil servant who could well recommend overruling Dudley's unanimous decision. Private enterprise funding appears at this moment to the only way forward to get a new image for the town. No doubt that if Stourbridge was classified as a 'run-down' area there may be money available in some form of an EEC regeneration funding program. But that is not the case. If Stourbridge is to survive and keep an identity, much must be done. Talk must be matched with money Initially Stourbridge may need to have a 'makeover' more that re-developed. For example here are two suggestions which could bring in extra revenue and people into the town: Many of the empty rooms above shops and offices - particularly in the Lower High Street could be converted into 'prime residential apartments' ; empty premises could be offered to new-start small, businesses for a reduce rental fee. There is no doubt that many more ideas and suggestions could be put forward, either way Stourbridge has to start again somehow. . Here's a thought. What if The Western Orbital Route was to be built. This would certainly take a lot of the traffic off the A491 road which presently passes through Stourbridge. Now with all that traffic out of the way, there then could be major changes to the ring road status as other contributors to this site have suggested - making it smaller; introducing islands; making it even a two way traffic system (but this will still cost money!) By doing this and making the town more 'accessibly friendly' to everyone perhaps any radical idea for Stourbridge may not be so bad after all. Now as for the residences who would have to put it with a new bypass road passing their front doors..... well there lies another story!!!!

Dave Bruton, received 23 Nov 01

i would like to see tesco built in stourbridge, i would like to see the creation of over 400 jobs - god knows stourbridge desperately need them, i would like to see the stinking subway filled in, i would like to see an end to all the charity shops and banks in stourbridge, i would like to see the "heart" ripped out of stourbridge and a new one created. i would like to see all this in the next 5 years!

wendy cowley, received 10 Nov 2001

I feel I must write with my views on Stourbridge ring road and the plans to change it. Following the meeting at the town hall, I wish to show my idea of the ring road which would:- 1 Allow more land for re-development. 2 Removal of the ring road and replace it with a two-way/north-south route. 3 Bring the bonded warehouse area into the town centre,allowing development. My plans are:- 1. THE EAST SIDE OF THE RING ROAD (A491) First of all, turn the ring road into 2 way traffic and use the central lane as a slip road for turning where needed. Starting from the southern most point at the entrance from Hagley road and travelling north. A set of traffic lights could be placed here giving priority to the traffic flowing anti clockwise as proposed heading towards Foster Street and Birmingham Street. This would allow the Bus station to be inside as proposed. At the junction of Birmingham Street. An island would be placed and the traffic would then go north behind the Stourbridge Industrial Estate, across the waste land where the gas towers stood and reappear with an island at the point where the Amblecote High Street and the Old Wharf Road meet. This scheme would allow for more land in St. John's Road to be used for development. A foot bridge could be placed over the road so residents of the Holloway End estate could access the town. 2. THE SOUTHERN AND WEST SIDE OF THE RING ROAD This part would be used for more local traffic as the through traffic would be flowing round the east side. Change the direction of the traffic flow in Victoria Street behind B&Q. Use the central lane of the ring road on New road as a slip road for access to Victoria Street. Place an island at the junction of Worcester Street and New road. Reopen the lower part of Market Street, but make it one way flowing onto the island. This would stop the congestion as car drivers constantly try to find a parking space at the rear of the Rye Market, but fail and have to return, facing traffic also doing the same thing. At the junction of Greenfield Avenue, place either an island or a series of slip roads to allow traffic who wish to turn left approaching from Bath Road and traffic who want to travel from Greenfield Avenue to New Road. Remove the subway near Enville Street and place an island allowing traffic from Crown Lane to filter out at this point. Allow Bath road to connect to the proposed island at the end of Amblecote High Street. Remove the subway at the end of Lower High Street and place a slip road for traffic who wish to turn in from Bath Road. 3. TOWN CENTRE Pedestrianise the High Street and Market Street as proposed. Goods access to ALL SHOPS can done from behind, including McDonalds whose goods access can go through Kwik Save car park at the rear of B&Q. Rear access to the shop at the southern side of Market Street and the lower part of the Upper High Street, ie, Cash Converters etc., can be found at the rear of the Talbot Hotel by removing Kidderminster Carpets. On the eastern side of the Upper High Street, access can be found by tidying up the land at rear of the shops when the proposed development of St. John's Road takes place. I feel that this proposal would be more beneficial the the people of Stourbridge by allowing the through traffic to move without too many obsticles. (1 set of traffic lights and 2 islands), freeing up more development land which would please the authorities who are obviously offering a space for a supermarket to help pay for the scheme and helping locals by placing the bus station inside the town centre, pedestrianisation of the town centre would also be a great advantage of the shoppers. These proposals are only an idea and and are open for constructive imput.

Regards Sean Harris, received 16 Nov 2001

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