It’s often said that the difference between success and failure can be the smallest thing – an idea, money, a little knowledge. Does the same apply to an area? Could Wolverhampton become the next Bristol, a thriving city full of bright young things launching excellent independent businesses & tech start ups? Could the right idea launch a business that could go on to revitalise, for example, Horseley Fields or the south side of Wolverhampton’s city centre? Maybe the right person with a small cash injection could see further progress – after all, the city is undergoing something of a regeneration at the moment.
A positive future for Wolverhampton?We asked a question on social media – If you had £10 million to spend, but had to spend it improving #Wolverhampton in some way, what would you do with it?
We had some interesting and thought provoking responses, as below:
Open a Camden style market where Sainsburys is by trams. People would travel from afar for a good street food market.
Daniel James Findlay-Belfield:
Give Wolverhampton the shopping centre and surrounding area the makeover it deserves,to rival Birmingham and Merry Hill. Make it FEEL like a proper city.
Have separate areas one for shopping mostly independent stores one for restaurants and food outlets one leisure activities like ice skating ,bowling ,gym and one for bars clubs live bands comedy clubs theatres cinemas and free parking with security and any plants and tress to be fruit and berries so anyone can pick free food.
Improvements to homeless services would be the perfect way to spend the money.
I’d spend it on getting rid of corruption on all levels…thereby increasing its value 10 fold at least, the people of Wolverhampton better.
Open a Pret a Manger so us veggies have some nicer lunch choices.
A Lush store for those of us who don’t want to travel to Birmingham for it.
Open some nice craft stores as the only place to get that type of stuff is sometimes The Works or online and i’d prefer to spend money in local stores and to see what I’m buying.
I’ve moved from Bristol and these are the things I miss most! We need quirkiness!!
Bring Chapel Ash back to life as an arts and cultural hub like Moseley in Birmingham – with lots of independent businesses, shop, cafes and bars designed to appeal mostly to students and young people.
Well I don’t know how far 10 million would go. But I would invest in free parking for the city centre to encourage locals to actually use there city centre instead driving to Merry Hill.
Stop the cuts to libraries.
More trees.
What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment here, or on Facebook or Twitter.
Off load the horrible Civic Centre to the University (i know money has been spent) and move the Civic Centre Services into the old Sainsbury’s Church Building. Get the University to landscape the souless Piazza Concrete area with Trees and Green and enhance St Peters steps etc . The current Piazza area could be bought to life with Events , Concerts , Arts and Craft Markets , connect it to Queens Square which should be traffic free create a traffic free corridor along Dudley Street thru Queen Square up to the current Piazza space , bit radical but there you go
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