Fed up with getting nowhere with its previous attempts to draw attention to the poor condition of the public realm in our High Street, the Civic Society’s Successful Streets Group (SSG) is upping the ante this year.
This year, SSG saw little point in updating its two-year-old list of 253 issues of concern such as broken paving, grubby bins, cluttered signage and street furniture only to see few – if any – improvements.
Proactive approach
So, SSG is adopting a new, more proactive approach to working with both councils (Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council that between them control the streetscape), and the various private companies that can help to improve matters (Ubico, BT, Virgin, etc.).
The group’s three-fold focus in 2020 will be to: highlight the categories of problem items; identify and engage constructively with the person or team in the council or company who has responsibility for these; and follow up to see tasks carried out or, if not possible, to develop new ways to somehow get the jobs done.
