And being next to an existing area used for recreation would be a benefit too.
What benefit is an Arts Centre to the average West Berkshire taxpayer? In this time of austerity and cutbacks do you think an arts centre, which will cater for a small minority, will be acceptable? Especially as it is proposed to concrete over a large part of Victoria Park and place a glorified wooden shack on it!
Greenham Park would be far more acceptable as there is the possibility of parking in the grounds if planned correctly. If we must pander to the Newbury Few, those who must be obeyed, then Greenham Park would be far preferable if there is money to waste I am sure.
What benefit is an Arts Centre to the average West Berkshire taxpayer? In this time of austerity and cutbacks do you think an arts centre, which will cater for a small minority, will be acceptable? Especially as it is proposed to concrete over a large part of Victoria Park and place a glorified wooden shack on it!
Greenham Park would be far more acceptable as there is the possibility of parking in the grounds if planned correctly. If we must pander to the Newbury Few, those who must be obeyed, then Greenham Park would be far preferable if there is money to waste I am sure.
I'm not sure that an arts centre is for the benefit of a minority. The title "Arts Centre" does tend to make it appear to be a stuffy elitist type of venue but that depends on who runs it. I would suspect that the average Sun reader would not be too interested but that is no reason to dumb down the rest of the population. Whatever type of arts centre Newbury needs and the fact that WBC are hell bent on putting one in Victoria Park, mainly I suspect to curry favour with the New Greenham Trust, indicates that we must have such a place. If that is the case, then the Greenham House spot sounds to me like the ideal location.
New Greenham Trust have shedloads of money to dish out and we mustn't forget that the fat salary people who run it are beholden to us the ratepayers as the trust is in fact only there because the land purchased back by the council from the ministry was donated/loaned to NGT and we are only getting what we are entitled to in terms of their so called generous grants. It is a trust for the benefit of West Berks and I might believe some of North Hants as they have to bear the brunt of some of the activities on and off the site including HGVs trundling through their inadequate A339 to the M3 and the link across the Newtown common to the A34. So, an arts centre could well come within the NGT budget and which funds can be diverted from that promised for the pavilion in the park.
WBC are not attempting to curry favour with NGT by putting an arts centre in Victoria Park - they are merely jumping at the opportunity to find some funding and a credible community use for a building they have been conned into thinking they must have as part of the Vision. NGT are not pushing to build in the park, they probably don't mind of the arts centre is in the park, on the wharf, behind the museum, behind the library, in Greenham House or wherever - as long as they get it out of Greenham Common and can redevelop the New Greenham Arts site.
Logged
Male
