| News from St Ives |
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| St Ives Cambridgeshire
A personal view
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| RECESSION: SHOPS CLOSE IN ST IVES | |||||||||||||||||
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| Above: Woolworths closed in December 2008 and currently lies empty. On right: Walkers Bookshop closed on February 28th 2009. It is sadly missed. |
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| Eaden Lilley in Bridge Street was bought by Townrow. People are pleased that we still have a resonably sized department store. | |||||||||||||||||
THE CORN EXCHANGE
Much concern had been expressed about the future of the Corn Exchange which was in a dangerous condition and been closed for years. Then in January 2008 the Town Council accepted a plan from Mike Purchas, a local business man, who offered to manage a refurbishment plan which he said would cost no more than just over £600,000. Since then, costs have risen to some £900,000. Whether or not a refurbished Corn Exchange would ever be able to pay its way remains to be seen - but campaigners very much welcomed the decision. Then, in August 2009, after a delay of six months, the Hunts District Council planners finally gave it the go-ahead - although they also expressed some doubts about the long-term future of the hall. |
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| This was Mrs Bateman Brown (in centre of picture) opening a Free Church Sale of Work in the Corn Exchange, presumably at the turn of the last century. | |||||||||||||||||
| GUIDED BUS The new way-over-budget and much-delayed guided bus system between Huntingdon and Cambridge, via St Ives, has been delayed yet again and will now not open until early 2010. The guided part of the journey will use the path of disused railway track between St Ives and Cambridge, and eventually have extensions to Trumpington and Addenbrooke's Hospital, and to Godmanchester and Huntingdon. Many local people are still wondering about this. They fear it won't be anything like as convenient as the present service - and it won't usually make the journey to central Cambridge any quicker. It is also suggested that the A14 be widened to a dual 3-lane carriageway, and that a new dual 3-lane carriageway be built to the south of Godmanchester, Huntingdon and Brampton to join the A14 to the west of the A1. It is intended that the better public transport and further "more rigorous measures" will discourage motorists from driving into Cambridge. |
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Move on to NEWS FROM ST IVES 2 |
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