We need to protect the unique character of the town
MANY visitors to my bookshop congratulate Market Harborough for keeping its distinctive character.
It is nice to hear this not only from overseas visitors, but also from shoppers from Leicester, Corby, Kettering and Northampton.
They are surprised when I list the supermarkets already in the town and they remark how clever we have been to make sure they do not intrude too clumsily into the centre.
But I don’t this it is ‘cleverness’. I think that the unique nature comes from the way that we truly value the town. Harborough FM says that we’re proud to be local - and they are damn right.
As townsfolk, we need to be alert and active in protecting Market Harborough’s character.
We need to be very aware that the stated intention is to lease the market space to a national brand, disabling the indoor market and the antiques fair with over 50 small local businesses, many operating as sole traders. The choice is both unambiguous and indicative.
Of course, these traders need to earn a living and will look for other venues in other towns. But what does this say about how we value the character of Market Harborough?
The council will say that we need to ‘move on’ and ‘keep up’. The trouble with that approach is that once we have lost our distinctive edge, established over many years, we won’t get it back. That is what makes all this feel like vandalism.
Malcolm Noble,
(Bookcabin and Antiques Fair),
Coventry Road,
Harborough.
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Weather for Harborough
Friday 18 May 2012
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Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
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