Stop or go?

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

He - and his ill-fated lover - could yet find themselves moving to a new location, as discussions on the future of Broadway and Prospero Place begin.

Speaking at the Positive Ageing Forum last week, Mayor Neil Volzke said Stratford District Council saw the need for "a bigger conversation" with the community about how the town's inner central business district can become a destination.

With oil and gas industry-generated traffic set to increase along Broadway, Neil says the council is aware of the need to ensure people can see the Glockenspiel for which Stratford is famous, and is looking at how to best do this.

The idea of opening up more space in Prospero Place is one option - this could include knocking down a building, such as the ANZ bank, to create a larger pedestrian space. Another option could be to move the Glockenspiel to the other side of the road.

Those at the presentation had some ideas of their own, with the suggestion of an underpass on Broadway, as well as the option of re-routing heavy traffic through other streets.

Neil said all ideas will be taken into consideration and that no decisions are being made in the short term but rather are being tabled for discussion the council looks to the future and increasing oil and gas activity.

Every oil well means at least 20 tanker loads of fuel a day being driven through the area.

Mayor Neil Volzke

The town also needed to ensure that there was opportunity for further housing developments to "continue to bring people to live and work in Stratford".

One woman at the forum, who did not wish to give her name, said Stratford needs to "do something soon, before we become a ghost town, with empty buildings and no reason to stop here".

She thought moving the Glockenspiel was "not a terrible idea, it would be nice to see it without trucks in the way but it will cost a lot to move it and surely there are better things to spend money on first".

What do you think? What can be done to ensure Stratford stays a place that people want to visit? Write to the editor and let us know your views. Contact details on P2.