Chapter III – Practical studies

The town centre

161

We then turned our attention to the crucial problem of the town centre, crucial because the greatest concentration of activities and hence of traffic takes place in the centre. We first analysed the land uses (Figure 91). Northbrook Street is the principal shopping area, but there are other shops outside this street mingled with dwellings, offices and commercial premises. An ‘environmental appreciation’ revealed many buildings of architectural or historic interest, with particularly pleasant groups near the parish church and the Market Place and in the broad sweep of Northbrook Street. The river, with its old bridge and adjoining open land, and the town park, add greatly to the character of the town centre (Figure 95).

162

The present congestion does much to diminish these intrinsic amenities. There is the disagreeable conflict between pedestrians and vehicles, and most streets are used as car parks, with vehicles parked in all odd corners. The market square functions simultaneously as an open street market and a trunk road. Congestion, confusion and traffic noise are rife, particularly in Northbrook Street and around the parish church and the river bridge.